When a fireplace destroyed a large reasonably priced public housing complex under construction in unincorporated San Mateo County earlier this month, it worn out a decade of labor to offer much-needed housing for a few of the peninsula's most vulnerable residents, shaking a community that had been eagerly awaiting the safety that stable housing provides.
Now local authorities are vowing to rebuild the homes, which were scheduled to open next yr, but a brand new timetable and details about who will cover the prices are still unclear.
“For those who were hoping to move in next year, that has obviously changed,” said Warren Slocum, the San Mateo County district administrator who represents the region, in a telephone interview.
The Middlefield Junction project in North Fair Oaks, a community where median household income is a couple of third lower than its wealthier neighbors in San Mateo County, had been within the works for a decade when flames raged at the location on June 3.
Within hours, 104 housing units burned to the bottom, dashing the hopes of a whole lot of residents who had waited years for reasonably priced housing within the county, where the common home sale price is greater than $2 million.
Construction company James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corp. described the fireplace as “the worst disaster in the company's 92-year history.” The explanation for the fireplace continues to be under investigation, in accordance with the fireplace department.
Middlefield Junction, developed by the nonprofit organization Mercy Housing, aimed to offer 179 reasonably priced housing units, including 20 for the homeless.
North Fair Oaks is a working-class community of about 14,000 residents, lots of them immigrants, and borders the affluent cities of Redwood City, Atherton, and Menlo Park. Middlefield Junction was intended to be the biggest reasonably priced complex in North Fair Oaks.
The $155 million project that Slocum championed had several sources of funding, including loans from the county and the San Mateo County Housing Authority, the American Rescue Plan Act and Measure K, a neighborhood sales tax.
Slocum said after the fireplace that he, the county and the developers were “100% committed to moving forward with the rebuilding for the families who will be living in the public housing.”
But the district, along with the development company and Mercy Housing, continues to be within the strategy of determining the prices of reconstruction and to what extent the insurance will cover them.
The fire got here at a time when San Mateo County is in dire need of housing and homelessness continues to rise. A recent survey found that homelessness has increased 18% over the past two years. State officials say the county might want to construct hundreds of latest housing units in the approaching years, particularly for low-income residents, to maintain up with demand.
Kathleen Daly, chair of the North Fair Oaks Council, was devastated the day of the fireplace. “It was devastating,” she said.
Daly had been desirous about how the project could provide housing for youngsters growing up in North Fair Oaks.
“When these kids go to college and come back, there will be a place to stay,” Daly said. “I had to fight back tears and now, oh my God, it's on fire. It's been tough.”
“The profile of residents who needed housing here is very diverse,” Stivers said. “Unfortunately, it ranges from individuals fleeing domestic violence to teachers, grocery store clerks and bank employees who are currently living in their cars. This fire affects the type of housing that San Mateo County needs most, in an area that really needs it and would benefit from more affordable housing.”
While the longer term opening date for Middlefield Junction is uncertain, Daly is confident that the county and developers will make it occur.
“This is one of the neighborhoods in the county and the Bay Area where the real workers live, the white collar workers, medical assistants, teacher assistants. It's a community of really hard-working people,” Daly said. “I'm pretty sure the county will do whatever it takes to make sure it rebuilds.”
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