Housing
Though hollowed out today, the downtown core has a number of attributes that make it an attractive geography for transit-oriented redevelopment. By increasing housing density downtown and improving access to affordable housing, these investments will spark market interest and provide attractive options for area residents seeking an affordable, walkable, urban way of life.
READY-TO-GO
EXPLORATORIOS
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Carousel Mall Redevelopment ($37M)
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Heart of Mobility ($22M–30M)
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Homelessness Initiative ($52.5M–72.5M)
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Homeownership Initiative ($15M)
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Downtown Habitat for Humanity Project ($750K)
EXPLORATORY
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Permanent Residential Real Estate Cooperative
Housing: Carousel Mall Redevelopment
READY-TO-GO
Redevelopment of this long-vacant 43-acre property will send a clear signal that downtown San Bernardino is poised for a comeback. The project will bring new life downtown by creating space for academic and research institutions, industry, small businesses, workforce development, and other key contributors to the local innovation ecosystem. In addition, it will re-establish the historic street grid, expand workforce housing, and implement urban forestry and placemaking measures to enhance sustainability and walkability downtown.
OBJECTIVES
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Jumpstart sustainable development and expand accessible workforce housing stock downtown
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Boost employment among San Bernardino residents through quality job creation and clear, well supported workforce development pathways
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Advance equitable economic development in the city via local hire and local procurement provisions
COST
Total: $37M
Housing: Heart of Mobility
READY-TO-GO
This transit-oriented development project will transform downtown San Bernardino and the diverse neighborhoods that surround it. It will support healthier lifestyles for residents by reducing pollution and GHG emissions, diversifying transportation options in underserved communities, and encouraging construction of workforce housing in and around the downtown (including the Seccombe Lake inclusionary housing project, which will be led by a public-private partnership). The project incorporates a wide range of climate-friendly measures, including energy-efficiency improvements for low-income residents, parking lot solar canopies, residential and commercial renewable energy, urban greening collaborations with local community college and elementary schools. It will complement the Carousel Mall redevelopment and catalyze revitalization near the Transit Center.
OBJECTIVES
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Create a vibrant, walkable, transit-oriented downtown
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Enhance quality of life for all who frequent the core
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Improve climate readiness in and around downtown
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Mitigate the ongoing housing crisis
COST
Total: $22M-30M
Housing: Homelessness Initiative
READY-TO-GO
In order to meet the rising demand for support services and shelter capacity among unhoused San Bernardino residents, the City is partnering with local stakeholders and nonprofits to expand interim / transitional housing options in the City. Two projects—a 200-bed interim housing facility for men and men with children and a 60-100-unit transitional / permanent student housing complex—will provide additional shelter capacity and improve access to supportive services (e.g., substance use disorder counseling, behavioral health, workforce training, help with entitlement benefits, medical care) in order to help homeless individuals successfully exit homelessness.
OBJECTIVES
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Expand availability of supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness
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Improve student success by ensuring that homeless SBVC students have access to stable housing and wraparound support services
COST
200-bed interim housing
60-100-unit student housing
Total: $52.5M-72.5M
over five years
Housing: Homeownership Initiative
READY-TO-GO
Increased homeownership has the potential transform the lives of many San Bernardino residents by promoting stability and helping households build wealth over time. The City’s Homeownership Initiative Project will invest in programs to help prospective homebuyers overcome the barriers to homeownership. These efforts will connect potential homeowners to financial assistance (e.g., grants and loans to help with down payments and/or closing costs) and buyer readiness programming (e.g., credit repair, education, counseling). It will also secure funds (including gap financing) to develop additional workforce housing that can be sold to low- to moderate-income residents.
OBJECTIVES
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Expand availability of affordable workforce housing
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Reduce cost burden on San Bernardino households
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Increase the number of San Bernardino residents who own their homes
COST
Total: $15M
OBJECTIVES
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Expand availability of affordable workforce housing
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Reduce cost burden on San Bernardino households
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Increase homeownership among San Bernardino residents
COST
Total: $750K
EXPLORATORY
Housing: Permanent Residential Real Estate Cooperative
The Uplift SB Housing Working Group will work with relevant stakeholders to establish the City’s first Permanent Residential Real Estate Cooperative (PRREC). Unlike a traditional housing cooperative made up of those living in a particular building, the PRREC will sell individual shares to community members interested in securing local control of and investment in San Bernardino’s neighborhoods.
Members who live on the PREC’s properties “will have long-term renewable ‘diminishing rent lease’…[that] simulate[s] direct homeownership in many ways: tenants build equity and payments lessen over time as the building is paid off.” If a member-tenant decides to move out, they “sell” their lease in exchange for “a pre-determined price based on their equity contributions to date” which will ensure “a modest return…as well as compensation for improvements.”*
Uplift SB will also work with the PRREC to connect local community members to programs and services that can increase homeownership readiness, avoid displacement, and support community wealth-building.
Uplift SB’s Housing Working Group will identify specific project elements, seek out subject matter experts, develop cost estimates, determine the appropriate ownership model, and devise a roadmap for securing funding, property acquisition, and phased implementation.
* East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative, “The Basics & The FAQs: Permanent Real Estate Cooperatives.”
OBJECTIVES
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Preserve and expand the inventory of affordable housing in the city of San Bernardino
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Increase lower-income residents’ access to wealth-building mechanisms
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Encourage local investment in and control of residential real estate
COST
To be determined