Homes for 34 veterans, seniors will rise next to King-Kennedy Center in west Modesto
A vacant lot in west Modesto will get 34 rental units for low-income veterans and seniors.
The one-bedroom homes are scheduled to rise by early 2022 on Vine Street just north of the King-Kennedy Memorial Center. The Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority has about $7.4 million in grants and loans for the construction.
It has not yet started the application process for the 11 senior apartments, which will be in a single building. Renters of the 23 cottages for veterans will be referred by the Stanislaus County Department of Aging and Veteran Services.
The projects are a prime example of infill housing – reinvesting in an established area rather than sprawling onto the rich farmland around Modesto.
“What the Housing Authority is trying to do is come here and build community and build in the neighborhood,” Executive Director and CEO Barbara Kauss said during a Tuesday afternoon visit to the site.
The Modesto City Council voted unanimously Nov. 10 to rezone the 1.9-acre site for this use. The Housing Authority will provide sidewalks, storm drainage and street trees along Vine, and resident parking in the interior. The city is in the midst of upgrading a water main and fire hydrants on this block.
The site will have an outdoor space for all residents and a community room. Mellis Park and the King-Kennedy will be just across Vine.
Project name honors Helen White
The senior complex will be named Helen White Court, in memory of a civic leader in west Modesto. White worked for the Housing Authority for more than 30 years and was active at King-Kennedy and in other causes. She died in 2008.
The apartments will be in a one-story building fronting on Vine, each between 700 and 900 square feet. They will rent for $950 a month to seniors within the income limit.
Helen White Court will cost about $2.15 million to build. It has a $1.15 million grant from the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program. The rest is a loan from F&M Bank.
The veteran homes will be called King Kennedy Cottages. Each will rent for $850 a month and have 580 square feet of living space. The one-story structures will lie in the interior of the parcel.
The veteran housing will cost $5.22 million. It has a $2 million grant from the state’s No Place Like Home program, which serves people at risk of homelessness. The funding also includes a $1.12 million HOME grant and a $2.1 million loan from F&M.
West Modesto activist Sebastian Jones praised the projects during the online council meeting.
“This is a good thing for west Modesto,” he said. “We are starting to build something on that side of town.”
Jones also urged housing at the Modesto Municipal Golf Course, about half a mile to the southeast. The city closed it earlier this year and has heard also from people who want to preserve the open space.
Designs will be reused
The Housing Authority is saving time and money in west Modesto by reusing the designs for similar projects in the city, Kauss said. The apartments will mimic those on Downey Street next to the Modesto Senior Center. The veteran cottages will be like those on Coolidge Avenue east of McHenry Avenue.
Kauss said the veteran homes are detached to provide a quieter place for those dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Housing Authority serves about 7,000 households in Stanislaus and seven counties in and east of the Sierra Nevada.
It has been especially active in Modesto this year. Kansas House opened in the former American Budget Inn & Suites in May. It provides 103 studio apartments and services for people trying to leave homelessness behind.
The authority will turn the former Clarion Inn on Sisk Road into 150 apartments for moderate-income workers by late 2021. The site also will have a restaurant, kiosks for microbusinesses, and a new headquarters for the agency.
More information is at 209-557-2000 or www.stancoha.org.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
