Castro presses for more investment in affordable housing during S.A. visit

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro (C) attends a reception for Hispanic Heritage Month also attended by President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House on October 12, 2016 in Washington, DC. less U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro (C) attends a reception for Hispanic Heritage Month also attended by President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House on ... more Photo: Pool, Pool / Getty Images Photo: Pool, Pool / Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Castro presses for more investment in affordable housing during S.A. visit 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro toured the new East Meadows housing complex on San Antonio’s East Side today and urged the city to invest more in affordable housing opportunities.

East Meadows’ first phase, a $41.7 million development containing 215 apartments, was built where the old Wheatley Courts public housing complex used to stand.

Castro, a former San Antonio mayor who supported the project during his tenure here, called the new development “a fantastic example of revitalization” that will improve the quality of life for residents on the East Side.

Before touring the new apartments this morning, Castro called for the city to make greater investments in affordable housing.

“San Antonio is at a point where the rent is going up. The cost of homes is going up significantly,” Castro said.

While San Antonio continues to perform well economically and is still growing, those factors bring more pointed challenges, Castro said.

“We need more investments like this,” Castro said of East Meadows.

But the opportunities to pursue such investments will only dwindle as home prices get higher and higher, he said.

“The city needs to invest in affordable housing now,” he said.

City officials explored the possibility of including an affordable housing bond in its proposed $850 million bond package going before San Antonio voters next year.

But the city was unable to include that component because the current city charter only permits bonds to be issued for public works projects.

However, the proposed bond package going before San Antonio voters in May includes $20 million for “neighborhood improvements,” which would allow the city to buy deteriorated properties and prepare them for development.

Those preparations could include demolition and cleanup, extending utilities to such sites and constructing sidewalks and curbs.

The East Meadows housing development unveiled by the San Antonio Housing Authority and developer McCormack Baron Salazar today was the result of multiple public and private investments.

So far, the City of San Antonio has allocated $17 million in funding to the housing authority to make various improvements in the East Side neighborhood.

Those city funds were used for demolition, site preparation, new streets and other infrastructure.

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