By Deb Murphy
The purchase agreement for 3.5 acres of land at Spruce and MacIver streets has
been accepted at the staff level of both the City of Bishop and the Los Angeles
Department of Power. Monday, that agreement heads to the City Council.
The land is earmarked for Silver Peaks, a 70-unit affordable housing
project in the works since 2010. The purchase price is $1,091,000, based on a third-party appraisal.
The project started with Inyo/Mono Advocates for Community Action.
The City was brought into the mix since LADWP preferred to work with a
government entity. Now, IMACA and project developer Visionary Home Builders
of California will secure the balance of the purchase price.
According to Larry Emerson, IMACA’s housing and planning director, $800,000 toward the purchase will come from a state Housing and Community Development pre-development loan program. The Stockton firm focuses on affordable housing projects and has sources of funding, Emerson said.
The project will provide a mix of units for families and singles as well as a mix of income levels. Those income levels are based on percentages of Average Median Income, or AMI. For example, with the family median in the Bishop area at $71,100 a year, an income of half that, or $35,500, would qualify as “very low income.”
While Silver Peaks won’t directly address the area’s homeless issues, it will have a positive impact on the housing shortage. As families and individuals move out of their current housing, those units will open up for others.
While the purchase agreement is a big step, it’s not the last. The purchase has to
be approved by the LA City Council. Then, IMACA and Visionary need to get
construction financing. Emerson estimated a start date on the project sometime in
2020, optimistically.
Go back into your hole David.
I’m betting the trump worshipers are gonna come out of the woodwork on this one…..affordable housing ?…entitlements ?…for who ?….getting ready for the next “caravan” ?..are they going to be legal citizens living there ?…now MY own homeowner taxes are going to go up because of this….oh boy,there goes the… Read more »
No reason to.. You pretty much hit all the points. Now get back to Work DD
Matter of fact,I am working……right now painting a business building in town…and using that blue duct-tape trump talks about to mask-off the aluminum sidings…but lawfully,not putting it over mouths,noses and “all over the place” to transport imaginary people across the border in “big,fast cars and vans with no windows “…..
i thought that was you,,,Did you see me waving as i drove by?
LOL !!…Couple people waved at me….corner of Willow and Jackson…….
The HUD income limits are for the SMSA. The local HCD income chart that the City may want the developer to meet could be a lower AMI. It could increase on the amount of below market sources required.
If you cant afford a home in Bishop .. Where can you afford a home?? Give me a break…
Median home price in Bishop: 428K
Median home price in the USA: 200K
There must be many places more affordable than Bishop.
I’ll tell you what DIDN’T surprise me: This project has been in the works for 9 years. Typical DWP. They can drag their feet almost as well as USFS.
The $71K figure surprised me as well. Mr. Emerson was going from a federal Housing and Urban Development chart (which is the one that matters re: funding). I found the chart and the AMI for a family of four is $71,000. Who knew? The chart (Income Limits Documentation System) also… Read more »
Looked on City of Bishop website that lists the median income of 38,000 dollars not the 71,000 dollars stated in the above article. Checked other independent demographic sites and not one listed a median income above 41,000 dollars.