Council OKs Funds for Low-Income Housing

The city and a nonprofit organization have joined together to buy and rehabilitate 10 apartments in the Oak View neighborhood.

The City Council this week approved allocating $518,000 in federal money for the affordable housing project in the predominantly low-income neighborhood.

The city will lend the money to Orange County Community Housing Corp. in Santa Ana, which will use it to buy the property at 17361 and 17371 Koledo Lane, off Slater Avenue.

Orange County Community Housing will refurbish, manage and own the apartments.

David C. Biggs, the city’s director of economic development, told the council the project is an “opportunity to provide safe, decent and affordable housing.”

Orange County Community Housing, whose mission is to provide housing and related services to low-income families, will spend $140,000 to refurbish the two five-unit apartment buildings, said Allen P. Baldwin, the group’s executive director.

Baldwin said improvements will include installing new kitchen cabinets, rebuilding decks and remodeling bathrooms. Plumbing repairs also will be made.

Greg Brown, development specialist for the economic development department, said the hope is that the project will spur other owners to reinvest in their properties and generally spruce up the neighborhood.

Baldwin said the Koledo Lane apartments will be available to people with very low incomes. Existing tenants qualify and will be able to remain in their apartments, he said.

But instead of paying $700 in monthly rent, which they do now, Baldwin said, tenants will be charged $425 to $480.

Biggs said the project will keep rents stable, curb overcrowding and improve the quality of housing in the Oak View community.