Housing
A new state law to create more high-density housing near transit stops by overriding local zoning restrictions may add housing units in San Diego, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, but will completely bypass Contra Costa County. Though the law, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday, does not apply, “that doesn’t mean the goals of providing more housing, especially near transit, will not be achieved,” said John Kopchik, director of the county’s Conservation & Development Department….
Developers of an affordable housing project that could put about 150 new units near the Richmond BART station, have yet to secure nearly $6 million in necessary funding, according to a city official, putting the project in jeopardy of not starting on time. Metrowalk II is set to start next March and be ready for residents by March 2028. However, construction hasn’t started because the city is waiting for developer Pacific West Communities to receive the missing gap funding from…
An anticipated tiny house village for young unhoused adults, the first of its kind in Richmond, has been stalled for months, as the project awaited city permits. But organizers and the city say it finally is on track and could be ready for residents soon. The project, led by the nonprofit Tiny Village Spirit, will double the number of emergency housing units for young adults aged 18-24 to two dozen. Modeled after the Oakland Tiny House Empowerment Village, that has…
In the two decades Flor Castro has lived in Richmond, she’s seen many things change. One thing that has remained relatively stable is the $1,500 rent for the three-bedroom apartment she shares with her husband and two children, thanks to the city’s rent control laws. “I’m very grateful to God for everything I have because there are other families that need not just one job, but two jobs,” Castro said in Spanish. “So, up until now, that’s not my situation,…
“Knock knock, is anybody home? It’s SOS,” says Leyla Williams as she approaches one of the many hidden makeshift houses along Wildcat Creek. “Does anyone need services?” she asks, scaling the homemade stairs that lead to the tents and tarpaulin shelters. “I don’t think anyone is home.” This was the second stop of the day for the team at of Safe Organized Spaces Richmond, a nonprofit service provider for unhoused people. Their first stop was the extensive encampment where tents…
If you’re a California homeowner, it may be time to take a look at your insurance policy. After seven major insurance companies have restricted their business dealings in the state, policy holders are footing an exceedingly expensive bill. At Richmond’s Atchison Village, residents found that out the hard way. “Six weeks ago, we just thought we were going to redo our insurance,” said Ronald Kane, president of the Atchison Village Mutual Homes Corp. board. But when the time came to…
Richmond has a question for residents: What do they want built on unused city-owned land? RichmondLand, a community land trust, and city staff are working to gather community input on the public land policy. “Affordable housing is really needed, but parks like this and different spaces for people to get together are also important,” said Leonardo Santana, a 20-year Richmond resident, who talked to Richmond Confidential at a Halloween Land event on Oct, 28 at Unity Park. The park, at…
A high-density housing development of more than 700 homes, nearly half of them deemed affordable, is in the works in El Cerrito on land owned by BART. The city received a $20 million state grant in October to propel the progress it has made on the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, which was adopted in 2014 to meet community housing needs. The plan, updated in 2019, would put houses on land by the El Cerrito Plaza BART station that is…
Elsa Stevens was so stressed about an impending rent increase at her senior housing complex in Richmond that she debated whether she should get a costly CT scan that her doctor had recommended. She did go through with the scan, which eased one worry. But the rent increase at Heritage Park at Hilltop, which offers affordable senior housing, has upset her holidays. “For Christmas, their present is a 5% rent increase,” said Stevens, who has lived at Heritage Park with…