Ceremony marks opening of Modesto senior housing complex

Officials gathered Tuesday morning for the grand opening of Downey Terrace, an 11-unit apartment complex for low-income seniors in Modesto.

The roughly $2.3 million project is a partnership between Modesto and the Housing Authority of the County of Stanislaus. The city provided most of the funding through money it received from the federal government; the Housing Authority provided the rest and will own and operate the complex.

Housing Authority Executive Director Bill Fagan said workers have about two to three weeks of finishing touches to complete. He said he expects the first tenants will start moving in by early January. The complex is in the 400 block of Downey Avenue near the Senior Center and downtown.

Fagan said the complex has one-bedroom apartments, a community center and a common area, which is landscaped with drought-resistant plants. It also has security fencing. The units are for seniors who are at least 62 years old and whose income is no more than 50 percent of the area’s median income for their family size. The income levels would be different for a single senior vs. a married couple.

Fagan said 27 people have applied to live at Downey Terrace, and the Housing Authority still is taking applications. He said seniors can call the authority at (209) 557-2045 or (209) 557-2047 to apply.

He said the Housing Authority owns about 1,450 housing units, such as apartment complexes and duplexes, throughout the county. With the addition of Downey Terrace, Fagan said 131 of those units are exclusively for low-income seniors.

“Additional senior housing in our area is always important,” he said. “There always is a need.”

The ceremony was attended by about two dozen people, including representatives from Modesto and the Housing Authority. Fagan said Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, and Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, R-Riverbank, sent representatives.

This story was originally published November 18, 2014 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Ceremony marks opening of Modesto senior housing complex."