Location: Located in the Mills Ranch Subdivision, at 147/235 Ermosa Way, 164/260 Legacy Drive, and 691 Brandywine Lane in King City.
Description: Mills Ranch Apartments will consist of 40 two- and three-bedroom townhome-style units, across five two-story buildings. Thirty units will be allocated as permanent affordable rental housing for agricultural workers and their families. The new housing will be in close proximity to amenities such as public transit, a public park, library, medical services, schools, and grocery store.
A groundbreaking ceremony by CHISPA (Community Housing Improvement Systems and Planning Association Inc.), affordable housing developers and their partners was held July 15.
“This project is the result of years of collaboration and commitment from our staff, partners, funders, and community leaders,” said Geoffrey Morgan, CEO of CHISPA in a news release. “Mills Ranch will provide stable, affordable homes for families while creating lasting benefits for the entire King City community.”
Once complete, the fully affordable rental housing will be priced between at or below 30-60% of median income level.
CHISPA received a $680,000 predevelopment loan from the Monterey Bay Housing Trust (MBHT) in 2021 to help acquire the property, which at the time consisted of several vacant parcels. MBHT is a revolving loan fund sponsored by the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) and Housing Trust Silicon Valley.
The over $32 million development project includes approximately $1.4 million in land acquisition costs and more than $22 million in construction costs. The project financing includes state funding from the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant (FWHG), Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC), and Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) programs of HCD.
“In order for our regional economy to thrive, working families need access to safe, affordable housing,” Monterey Bay Economic Partnership President Tahra Goraya said in a statement. “By jumpstarting high-quality projects such as Mills Ranch Apartments, the Monterey Bay Housing Trust is creating new opportunities for low-income residents and stability for our agricultural workforce.”
History: The project was first planned in 2007 with a prior property owner/developer who later walked away from it, according to reporting by the King City Rustler. CHISPA bought the property in 2021. The project aims to address high demand for farmworker housing in the region.
A 2018 study analyzing housing needs of farmworkers in the Pajaro and Salinas Valleys said it would take an additional 45,560 units of farmworker housing over the long-term to alleviate critical overcrowding in farmworker households.
In 2024, an oversight committee found that since the study’s release, 4,500 beds for farmworkers and over 300 new permanent homes for farmworker families had been built in the region or were near completion.
When will the work be done? Construction is expected to be completed around November 2027. The anticipated leasing timeline is currently being confirmed, however, CHISPA expects to begin the leasing process about three months prior to completion, allowing future residents to complete the application and leasing process so they can move in shortly after the project receives its Certificate of Occupancy.
This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: What’s that going in at the Mills Ranch Subdivision in King City?
Reporting by Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian / Salinas Californian
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian | USA TODAY Network
