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Casa Familiar, a South County-based service and community development nonprofit, held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for the Avanzando San Ysidro Community Land Trust, a $100 million affordable housing project that combines low-income housing, climate resiliency, and community ownership in one of San Diego County’s most underserved neighborhoods. The 103-unit mixed-use development, spread across two sites less than half a mile apart in San Ysidro’s historic village area, will feature one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments designed for multi-generational households. It is also the first new construction project in California to combine low-income housing tax credit financing with a community land trust (CLT) model, allowing renters earning 30% to 60% of the area median income to purchase their units after 15 years, creating a pathway to long-term stability and community ownership. For residents like Irma Zepeda, a longtime San Ysidro resident and volunteer promotora with Casa Familiar, the initiative offers hope after years of personal and financial hardship. “Years ago, I had an accident in my workplace that left me disabled. I couldn’t keep working as a welder,” Zepeda said through an interpreter. “This is why I couldn’t keep paying my mortgage. My kids were still toddlers, and the payments were too high. I had to give my house away to the bank with all the pain in my heart and the tears in my eyes.” Zepeda said participating in the community land trust over the past three years has helped her rebuild stability and connection. “I’m part of a united community that fights for affordable housing,” she said. “It’s my pride to belong to Casa Familiar.” The project features an all-electric design with rooftop solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, and green infrastructure such as drought-tolerant landscaping, community gardens, shaded outdoor areas and advanced cooling systems aimed at reducing urban heat impacts and improving air quality. “It’s not just another housing project,” said San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre. “It’s a high-engineering model — this 103-unit, multifamily, mixed-use development to integrate residential homes and commercial spaces, fostering connectivity and access to essential community resources.” The project received $1.5 million in predevelopment support from the county’s Innovative Housing Trust Fund in 2024. Casa Familiar President and CEO Lisa Cuestas said the project is seven years in the making and supported by 13 funding sources. The total development cost is about $100 million, with construction costs estimated at $87 million. “This [housing project] is different, because it really is looking at climate resiliency, and it’s looking at anti-displacement,” Cuestas said. “And we’re giving an opportunity for the people who live here, after 15 years, to build real wealth, generational wealth.” Cuestas said the development incorporates climate-resilient and health-focused design features, including a three-year public transit circulator, EV infrastructure, and beyond-LEED and Title 24 building standards to ensure strong indoor air quality. “Even the trees that were picked are higher efficiency in taking out pollution from the environment,” she said. The Avanzando project is part of Casa Familiar’s broader community vision, located near the organization’s La Semilla Climate Resiliency Center, which provides workforce training, youth and family services, and climate and emergency preparedness programs. Together, the two sites are intended to serve as a model for integrating housing and sustainability at the neighborhood level. Cuestas said the CLT’s governance structure ensures residents have an ongoing voice. “They will remain affordable in perpetuity, and it will be governed by a majority resident board in partnership with Casa Familiar,” she said. Rent prices are expected to range from the low $1,000s for one-bedroom units to a little over $2,000 for two-bedrooms, according to Cuestas. “We wanted to ensure that we kept them as affordable as possible, between 30% (area median income) and 60% (area median income) is the highest,” she said. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the project marks the first time in California that a community land trust has used the low-income housing tax credit program. “It’s also unique, and it has this goal of transitioning these units from rental to homeownership after 15 years,” he said. “This is a major breakthrough, and it’s a new way forward for how we can build and preserve affordability.” He said the project reflects a larger shift toward investment in long-overlooked neighborhoods. “I understand that San Ysidro has long wondered whether or not the mayor understood this is a part of the city of San Diego,” Gloria said. “Well, this mayor does.” The Avanzando development will provide residents with free public transit passes for three years and is located near the Beyer Boulevard Trolley Station, creating a link between housing access and sustainable mobility. Cuestas said construction will take about two years, with completion expected in 2026. “Hundreds and hundreds of people [helped] to make this happen, and the right mix of people — the right visionaries — and the community really leaning in and trusting in each other that we could do this,” she said.
