Completion of Low-Income Housing Project Uncertain

An embattled low-income housing project stands incomplete, and its fate looks uncertain.

Bridge Housing Corp., the company in charge of building the incomplete Summerhouse condominium project, has been seeking tax credit financing to finish the job.

So far, they've come up empty-handed.

Only 20 of the 90 planned units were built, leaving the city in a bad situation.
The law requires Temecula to provide a certain number of low-income housing units, and city officials expected those units to fill part of its quota.

"Staff is currently analyzing the situation as to what the next steps will be," said Patrick Richardson, the city's director of . "It's our goal to see the project completed as planned."

Homes under fire

The complex went under construction in 2008 as a condominium complex for senior citizens.

Then, the economy tanked, the property went into foreclosure and construction ground to a halt.

Bridge bought the property from a bank and redesigned the complex as a low-income housing project.

The new plan caused a backlash in the community. Residents picketed the complex and railed against it at a decisive meeting.

Opponents said the complex would be a magnet for undesirables and cause a spike in the crime rate.

City officials responded by saying Temecula's legally obligated to provide affordable housing and already has several similar projects.

The council approved it after an 8-hour meeting -- the second-longest meeting in its history next to the meeting about a planned mosque.

The city also agreed to dedicate $8.4 million in to the project.