Plan would transform old campus into housing for school district employees

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- As the affordable housing crisis continues, trustees at the San Diego Unified School District are working on a solution by transforming another school campus into affordable housing units for their employees.

The initiative follows the state superintendent's recent plan to repurpose school land into new homes.

Plans are underway to convert the old Central Elementary School campus in City Heights into a 270-unit housing complex. The development will feature two, three and four-bedroom units, providing enough space for families of San Diego Unified School District employees.

"It's everybody from food service workers and bus drivers custodians to teachers," said Trustee Richard Barrera. He emphasized that the goal is to enable school employees to live in the communities where they work, which can be prohibitively expensive for their families.

"We've got an affordable housing crisis," Barrera said. "It's a particular challenge for schools because we need to attract and retain quality educators, but they need an affordable place to live. Our families are often getting priced out of San Diego, leading to fewer students."

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond recently announced a plan to develop 75,000 acres of surplus land owned by school districts. The land would be used to build 2.3 million new housing units across the state. San Diego Unified has already been proactive in addressing affordable housing needs, building the Livia complex in Scripps Ranch in recent years.

"People will pay no more than 30% of their income on rent," Barrera said. "Our goal over the next decade is to build about 1,500 units on multiple district-owned properties, housing about 10% of our workforce."

At the old Central Elementary site, an additional 50 affordable housing units may be added for seniors. The complex will also have space for family services, including the nonprofit organization Fern Street Community Arts, currently housed at the site.

"It is an amazing community, so diverse, and there is so much need. We concentrate our educational programs on serving that community," said John Highkin of Fern Street Community Arts.

School administrators aim to get this project underway within the next three years.