Foster City unveils workforce housing

“These units are truly a testament to the power that we have when Foster City comes together for a common goal,” Mayor Richa Awasthi said. “They demonstrate Foster City’s collective investment in our essential workers by providing an opportunity for them to live in the community they serve while also showcasing our commitment to addressing the regional housing crisis.”

Below-market rate units account for 14 spaces, while seven are workforce housing units within walking distance of City Hall. The last one is for the property manager. HIP Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing organization, is managing the property. Nine units have one bedroom, four have one bedroom plus a den and nine have two bedrooms. One-bedroom units are around 700 square feet. The building is part of Phase C in the Pilgrim Triton Master Plan development, a massive development with a mix of commercial, industrial and residential development. The Master Plan includes up to 296,000 square feet of commercial and office space and 730 units of housing. Applicants were accepted through a lottery system aimed at Foster City employees, teachers, people with qualifying incomes and first responders. Prices range from $1,400 for a one-bedroom to $3,100 for a moderate-income two-bedroom unit, Nori Jabba, HIP Housing Business Development director, said by email. Sizes range from 727 square feet for a one bedroom to 950 for den units and 999 to 1,056 for two bedrooms.

Planning Commissioner Charlie Bronitsky called the property a start to helping working families and those at risk of being forced to leave the city because of rising housing prices.

“I know a lot of people who used to work here in various capacities, and a lot of them all lived here, and we lost that as housing got less and less affordable,” Bronitsky said. “Today, we get the first step in bringing that back, and I hope that is just the first step.”

One of those people is new resident Jennifer Grimaldi, who previously lived at the Miramar Apartments on East Hillsdale Boulevard. When her roommate left, she could no longer afford to live on her own for $3,000 a month and moved in with her youngest daughter, allowing her to see and watch her grandchild. A DoorDash driver, she was left discouraged after not hearing from any other places and was relieved she finally found something in Foster City. She heard from HIP Housing in March that she was picked from the lottery and moved into the building in September. While she was lucky to have a family support system help her when she left Miramar, she noted that not everyone is so fortunate.

“I was thinking about leaving California altogether, but all my kids live around here, so it would have been terrible for me having to leave,” Grimaldi said.

While the new building is the first step, more work remains to address affordable housing issues. City staff at previous council meetings have said housing for about a third of existing Foster City households is not affordable, and 34% of all households pay 30% or more of their income on housing. Rents have increased around 33% in the past decade, and a household needs to earn about $300,000 to buy a home. According to Jabba, there were 182 applications for the below-market-rate units at Pilgrim Drive and around 60 for the city workforce units, with no available units at this time.

“While we are deeply proud of this community, we remain committed to continuing the important work of leveraging city resources to provide more affordable housing,” Awasthi said. “We are driven to keep up this important work as a sign of gratitude for the selfless work of the stewards of this community, whether it’s first responders, public employees or teachers.”

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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