More than 2,000 families on waiting list for 67 unit complex at 62nd Street/Encanto Trolley Stop
**B-roll of Villa Encantada Transit-Oriented Development
San Diego – Families have moved in to all 67 affordable apartments at the 62nd/Encanto Trolley Station thanks to a transit-oriented development (TOD) agreement between the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System and AMCAL Multi-Family Housing. The final phase, a 100-space park and ride for Trolley passengers, opened on Monday on February 25 for commuters. The apartment complex is a 20-minute Trolley ride to downtown via the Orange Line.
The Villa Encantada Apartments is an affordable TOD that provides 67 high quality apartments homes and 1,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving retail. The apartments are affordable to lower income households earning between 30% and 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). The spacious floor plans include two and three- bedroom units. AMCAL is partnering with LifeSTEPS, to provide complimentary social services for children and adults living in the apartments. The services will be available to residents on March 4. Consistent with MTS and AMCAL’s commitment to sustainability, Villa Encantada is designed as a LEED Silver Building with cost-efficient and energy saving sustainability features.
“To address our region’s affordable housing problems and the City’s Climate Action Plan goals, we need to be innovative,” said MTS Board Chair Georgette Gómez. “Villa Encantada is the type of partnership I envisioned when I brought forward the policy which encourages building affordable housing and transit-oriented development at trolley stations. I look forward to seeing more of these in the future.”
MTS recently updated its joint development program to more aggressively cultivate other partnerships to redevelop its top-tier park and ride locations into TODs. Program changes include prioritizing density, setting aside 20% of units for qualified low-income families, and identifying partners through a competitive bidding process.
Other properties MTS is actively looking for redevelopment partners include:
- 12th & Imperial Transit Center – 1.5 – 2 acres (500 estimated units)
- Palm Avenue Transit Center – 3.96 acres (250 estimated units)
- Grantville Trolley Station – 9.37 acres (1,000 estimated units)
- El Cajon Transit Center – 7.2 acres (400 estimated units)
- H Street Transit Center – 3.13 acres (125-280 estimated units)
- E Street Transit Center – 4.15 acres (170-390 estimated units)
MTS has a track record of success working collaboratively with other agencies to build housing along transit lines in San Diego. Other recent projects include:
- Grossmont Transit Center – 527 units (80 affordable)
- Creekside Villas Apartments/47th Street Trolley Station – 144 units (43 affordable)
- Morena/Linda Vista Trolley Station – 127 units
MTS operates 95 bus routes and three Trolley lines on 53 miles of double-tracked railway. Every weekday 300,000 passenger trips are taken on MTS bus and Trolley services in 10 cities and the county. In FY 2018, MTS served 86 million riders. For more information on how you can use public transportation and save money, go to www.sdmts.com.
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