The blue areas on this map show where rehabilitation work begins in February.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) San Bernardino contactor Chris Marshall will begin rehabilitation in February on two 19th Street multi-family units recently acquired by the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency.
The units, in what is known as the 19th and Sunrise area, are part of a larger project the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency has undertaken to reduce blight in the area.
"The 19th and Sunrise area has a history of police and code enforcement involvement and which has brought down the value of the surrounding community," said Emil Marzullo, interim executive director of the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency. “This project we are about to embark on will create attractive and affordable housing options, which will be a plus for all of San Bernardino.”
The two four-plexes soon to be rehabilitated will have newly remodeled kitchens and bathrooms, new carpeting and doors, new roofs, windows, decks and lawns. Walls, electrical fixtures, heating and air conditioning units and fireplaces will be repaired and brought up to current building codes.
On the outside, covered parking areas, laundry rooms, stucco, sidewalks and second floor walkways will be repaired.
The Economic Development Agency is in the process of buying 61 multi-family four-plexes at 19th and Sunrise, which currently contain 244 apartment units. Of these, 36 of the apartment buildings will be demolished, while 25 buildings containing 100 apartments will be rehabilitated.
When the agency’s project is complete, it will contain 100 newly refurbished apartments, which will be rented out by Mary Erickson Community Housing. On the land where the apartments targeted for demolition now stand, the Economic Development Agency plans to build single-family homes and new apartments designed for senior citizens.
Mary Erickson Community Housing is a non-profit agency specializing in housing, with greater capacity than the City of San Bernardino Economic Development Agency for acquiring, rehabilitating and professionally managing apartments for low to moderate-income families.
Agency staff has determined the best method for acquiring, rehabilitating and operating apartments for rent would be through a qualified non-profit housing developer that could perform all of these functions on the agency’s behalf. The agency selected Mary Erickson Community Housing through a competitive application process.
Mary Erickson Community Housing was founded in 1991. Its namesake was a retired schoolteacher who was devoted to the principals of community participation and well being. The company established its first affordable housing complex in San Clemente and has since grown to include multiple properties serving hundreds of diverse, hard working, low income families in Southern California including: Moreno Valley, Corona, Loma Linda, Riverside and now San Bernardino.
When complete the 19th Street and Sunrise area will have:
- 100 units of rental apartments for families of four that make up to $53,300 a year.
- 40 – 55 single family homes for sale to families of four who make up to $77,400 a year.
- 65 units of senior apartments for rent to households that make up to $42,650 a year for a family of two.
Preventing future multiple owners
A major problem with the area is that it has changed owners several times over the years. When it was built there was one owner of the 61 multifamily four-plexes. “The owner had the resources to maintain the properties in good condition, rent to good people and evict those who were not," said Marzullo.
“About 20 years ago that company sold the multiplexes and now we have many different owners with many different standards for renting,” he added. “Some have no regard for their properties and have allowed them to decline into unlivable conditions. A number of the properties are rented to people who cannot rent anywhere else. Some are forced to pay first class rents of $1,200 or more a month for very poor quality housing.”
To make sure the rental apartments can never be sold to multiple owners and create unsafe and unregulated conditions again, when SBEDA completes its purchase of the area, it will change the deeds to convert them into two large individual parcels.
• 15 separate apartment complexes on the north side of 19th Street will become one complete parcel.
• 10 fourplexes on the south side of Sunrise Lane will become one complete parcel.
Current and Future Residents
Current residents will be asked to apply to live in the newly renovated apartments. Mary Erickson Community Housing will have active on-site management, new rental agreements and new rules designed to keep the neighborhood safe and attractive.
Mary Erickson Community Housing also provides life skills education to help all residents gain skills to better manage their families and finances.
For its investment with Mary Erickson Community Housing for the apartments, the agency will receive half (50 percent) of any “surplus cash flow” after all operating expenses and debt service payments have been made on each property acquired, rehabilitated and placed into service by Mary Erickson Community Housing.
For more information on this project call the City of San Bernardino Economic Development Agency at (909) 963-5020 and ask for Sam Hughes.
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