Local leaders tour new Coachella affordable apartments, move-in expected by April
A new affordable housing complex is set to open later this year in Coachella, part of a new focus on redevelopment that local leaders said will make housing accessible to more than 100 low-income families.
Officials toured the 105-unit Pueblo Viejo Villas construction site Friday, at Sixth and Cesar Chavez streets. It will have one, two and three bedroom units available.
Mayor Steven Hernandez said demand is high, and there are more than 4,000 families on the waiting list. He said it demonstrates the desperate need for affordable housing across the Coachella Valley.
"Inflation is kicking in, we know that it's expensive to live wherever you're at," Hernandez said. "These apartments will provide for folks that vastly need good quality affordable housing."
A key factor in the project is that so many of the units are three bedrooms, about 25 percent, making families the target move-in population.
The project also keeps sustainability at the forefront, developers said, with solar panels on the roof achieving net-zero energy consumption. They also kept the goal in mind to keep utility bills affordable.
"It is as energy efficient as you can get, as far as a building is concerned," said Jim Anderson, chief financial officer with Chelsea Investment Corporation. "It's very tight, very highly insulated, so it stays warmer in the winters, cooler in the summers."
Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia has been advocating to best position his constituents to receive millions of dollars in grants.
"I'm proud to say, since 2019, $100 million dollars of housing dollars have hit the communities of Coachella and Imperial County – the 56th assembly district," Garcia said.
And with Pueblo Viejo Villas expected to be fully occupied by this June, Coachella leaders are already looking toward the next project – 108 units just across the street called "Tripoli."
"What we're trying to do is really activate the space in this area," Hernandez said. "We feel very confident that in the next few years, you're going to see over a thousand new people just walking downtown."
