A collaboration between the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and Affirmed Housing is bringing a fully affordable multifamily development to the city’s Grantville Trolley Station. Recently breaking ground in February, the 124-unit project will likely be completed by 2023.
Located at 4470 Alvarado Canyon Road, the building, also called ShoreLINE, will stand five stories. The building will feature a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units reserved exclusively for households earning 30 to 60 percent of the area median income. According to San Diego County, the area median income is $95,100 per year.
“ShoreLINE is a shared vision to bring forward-looking solutions that address urgent, urban livability challenges and deliver long term, positive impacts,” Jimmy Silverwood, executive vice president for Affirmed Housing, said in a statement. “Ensuring housing security is good, but it’s not enough. Providing a little extra support and a welcoming environment where people are proud to live is significant for boosting the overall health and wellness of the entire community.”
In addition to the residential component, the project will also include a 5,800 square-foot courtyard, laundry facilities on each floor, bike storage, a community room with a shared kitchen and more. In addition to onsite amenities, various supportive services will be offered to tenants, including after school programs and adult education programs.
The project is also designed to connect tenants to nearby public transportation through a landscaped paseo leading from the main entryway of the building to the Grantville Trolley Station.
In addition to the trolley station, the property is in close proximity to both Interstates 8 and 15. Once completed, it will also neighbor a similar project MTS is working on with Greystar. The 250-unit project, which has been dubbed Union Grantville, broke ground in April of 2021 and will feature a mix of market rate and affordable units.
Both projects are part of a larger initiative by MTS to create transit-oriented developments. Other planned projects by MTS include a 390-unit building at Palm Avenue Trolley Station, a 100-unit project at Rancho Bernardo Transit Center, a 500-unit development at the 12th & Imperial Transit Center as well as several others. In total, MTS operates more than 100 bus routes and three trolley lines throughout San Diego.
Affirmed Housing, its partner on the project, is an affordable housing developer with locations in San Diego and San Jose. Since its founding in 1992, Affirmed Housing has financed more than $2 billion in affordable and supportive housing developments, with 5,000 units either developed or currently under development.
