Local native and former NFL player gives back to community with new apartments

Oscar Lua, a former linebacker who played with the Indio Rajahs, USC Trojans, and New England Patriots, is giving back to where his journey started in Indio by helping build a 64-unit apartment complex called the Skyline at Bliss and Oasis.  

Lua, who is now the president of Statewide Services, mentioned that giving back to your community is the most important after a career in sports.

"Well, it means a lot," Lua said. "I think big goal for everybody is always to be able to participate and give back to the community, and once you get to a level where you can do that. I think this project we're doing here in downtown Indio is a big milestone, not only for me and for the city."

With the Skyline units being the largest private project that the city of Indio has ever seen, Lua wants to make the new complex for everyone. 

"Well, that's the beautiful part about the multifamily aspect of this project, being that, you know, homeownership in California is pretty, pretty tough," Lua said. We're offering an alternative option for first-class housing. It's a great opportunity for the local community to have an affordable entry level to great housing, so we're excited to be able to offer that here to our patrons and our constituents of Indio."

With studios, one-bed, and two-bedroom apartments, this complex gives more housing opportunities and helps out local businesses. 

"You know, a city of Indio is a great place to live," Shannon Belli, a bartender at Indio Taphouse, said. "There's a lot of people, a lot of locals that were raised here, born here, and having an apartment complex will also bring us more business. It will become a safe neighborhood for a lot of people."

The Skyline at Bliss and Oasis will have a ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday, May 30th, which will be hosted by Statewide Services. The ceremony will start at 9:00 a.m.