Gilroy
– Four busloads of the nation’s leading affordable-housing
advocates toured Gilroy Monday to learn about South County
Housing’s unique brand of home creation.
The area’s leading nonprofit developer of affordable housing is
hosting the 14th annual conference for industry leaders.
Gilroy – Four busloads of the nation’s leading affordable-housing advocates toured Gilroy Monday to learn about South County Housing’s unique brand of home creation.
The area’s leading nonprofit developer of affordable housing is hosting the 14th annual conference for industry leaders. The events are organized by Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a New York-based group that connects corporations, foundations, government officials and other funding sources to create affordable housing.
“The point of this is for developers around the country to learn from each other and be able to learn how to do a challenging job better,” South County director Dennis Lalor said.
Lalor spent Monday afternoon guiding visitors aboard the tour bus, pointing out various South County projects such as mixed-income homes at Los Arroyos, the La Maestra project for teachers, and the future Sobrato Transitional Housing project in north Gilroy.
The final stop was at a warehouse in the old Cannery, where South County’s most ambitious project will rise in the next few years.
The nonprofit plans to convert the brownfield site into 201 apartments and townhouse, as well as 40,000 square feet of street-level retail space. City officials, who consider the project the linchpin of downtown revitalization.
Lalor’s presentation focused on how South County has worked with residents and officials “to get them to see how this will be an economic lever that stimulates the economic growth of downtown.
“I also see it as an example of a fairly dense type of project,” Lalor said. “It’s a new type of project, so we’d like to hear from people who have done this sort of project. The learning goes both ways.”
Gilroy was just one stop on Monday’s bus tour, which also passed through neighborhoods in Boronda (near Salinas), Pajaro, and Watsonville.
The national conference will continue through Wednesday in Monterey, where Lalor and other South County representatives will attend a series of seminars and speaking engagements.
South County also will receive a Pioneers Award for its affordable housing work.
