Jason Pesick, SB Sun Staff Writer
RIALTO - A bulldozer knocked down the wall of a blighted condo Monday, symbolizing the start of the Willow-Winchester Neighborhood Revitalization Project to remake a troubled neighborhood.
The groundbreaking marked the beginning of an 18-month construction process that will rebuild housing on nine acres in the high-crime area near the intersection of Willow Avenue and Winchester Drive.
"I stayed, and I prayed, and this is the result of my prayer," said resident Bridget Boyd, who grew up in the neighborhood.
The $31 million project - $13.3 million of which will come from the city - aims to transform 160 individually owned condominium units into an affordable rental-housing community. The community will be developed and managed by the Southern California Housing Development Corp., a nonprofit developer. The rest of the money will come from a number of lenders, the county and the state.
For years, nearly all of the units had different owners, and only 13 of them actually lived in the condos. Most of the rest were absentee landlords who did not maintain the property well, SoCal Housing and Rialto officials said.
The disorganized ownership-and- management scheme helped foster one of the
city's most dangerous areas, averaging two to three homicides and 700 calls for police service a year, said Housing Director John Dutrey.
For the past five years, the neighborhood has been the top crime district in the city, said police Lt. Randy DeAnda. He compared the neighborhood to the Glenwood Apartments, a once high-crime housing complex that SoCal Housing also recently renovated and turned into affordable apartments now known as Renaissance Village.
Boyd said she moved into a condo in 1976 with her mother and stayed for 20 years before moving out. She said it was a beautiful place when she was growing up.
More recently, however, Boyd said she moved back into the same unit she grew up in and described the area as like a "war zone."
Upon her return, she said her reaction was to say, "Jesus, what happened? Who did it?"
She said she wanted to leave right away but stayed until now. She plans to move back in once the renovation is complete.
The Rialto Housing Authority used eminent domain to acquire many of the units at a cost of about $80,000 per unit, Rialto Economic Development Director Robb Steel said. The city had to go to court to acquire two of the units, he said. Many of the residents have either been permanently relocated or will be able to move into the completed units, according to the city and SoCal Housing.
Even though the city ended up contributing more than twice the amount it originally intended to contribute to the project, the mayor and City Council members praised the project.
"We are here to celebrate the victory against crime and blight," Mayor Grace Vargas said. She added that the area used to give her the chills.
Monday's groundbreaking ceremony under a white tent brought an air of sophistication into this gritty neighborhood. Tuxedo-clad workers served hors d'oeuvres to a crowd that included only a half dozen community residents among city employees, officials and SoCal Housing representatives.
Once completed, the complex will have 152 two- and three-bedroom units with rents ranging from $350 to $850 a month, said Julie Mungai, a senior project manager at SoCal Housing.
She said a 6,300-square-foot community center will serve the entire city by offering services such as after-school programs. She said there will also be a children's playground and basketball court.
BS Ranch Perspective:
History does Repeat itself, they will reduce Calls for Service for a time, how ever History will repeat itself, the area that was used for, and multiplied crime, was the prefect location. The High School was just South of the Complex with a large wall that was easily climbed and gotten over, Much easer for the crime factor than the Officer chasing the criminal. They know that area better then we do, When you live in an area, you have the tenancy to get to know all the cracks in the walls and the ways to sneak around!
The city will learn that the money that they are wasting there would have been better spent on a Retirement plan that was 3% at 50 years of Age vs. 2% at 50 years of age. There is a huge difference in that one percent!!
BSRanch
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