OUR PROJECTS
For over 50 years, Casa Familiar has focused on the resiliency of the community by supporting community empowerment and advocacy. Our Community Development efforts encompass affordable housing, infrastructure and planning, economic development, anti-displacement and green initiatives. We develop communities of connection and belonging where everyone has a seat at the table with the intention of long-lasting well-being.
With engagement as the cornerstone and programming with heart, we have led and participated in a range of community development projects; from small infill developments to mid-sized new construction and large acquisition rehab portfolio projects.
For over 50 years, Casa has focused on the resiliency of the community by supporting community empowerment and advocacy. Casa’s Community Development efforts encompass affordable housing, infrastructure and planning, economic development, anti-displacement and green initiatives. Casa develops communities of connection and belonging where everyone has a seat at the table with the intention of long-lasting well-being.
With engagement as the cornerstone and programming with heart, Casa has led and participated in a range of community development projects; from small infill developments to mid-sized new construction and large acquisition rehab portfolio projects.
Casa Familiar is a General Managing Partner in seven Low Income Tax Credit properties, wholly owns 110 units of naturally occurring affordable housing, and is sole-owner and developer of a New Markets Tax Credit project.
We also undertake collaborative community infrastructure projects like small parks and green spaces, as well as rehab projects such as our mixed-use community gallery, The Front.
Casa Familiar currently has a robust pipeline of affordable housing and infrastructure projects and is actively pursuing new opportunities.
La Semilla Climate Resiliency Center (CRC) is an innovation incubator to serve as the launchpad of a neighborhood-scale environmental justice and climate resiliency readiness effort in the heart of the San Ysidro community. The name La Semilla, meaning “the seed”, refers to the potential catalyzing environmental justice efforts and interventions that can sprout from this project. The project serves as one link in a chain of shared civic spaces in the neighborhood that will provide meaningful programming and outdoor experiences.
La Semilla is a demonstration project for affordable climate resiliency solutions. Through architectural components, site features, and special programming, the space showcases community focused and environmentally responsible solutions that can be replicated by the community.
The project is envisioned to tackle critical climate challenges that our environmental injustice community faces, which are air quality, clean transportation, smart sustainable building, water conservation, energy generation and conservation, and heaty food growth. Additionally, the project is designed with climate resilient and sustainable strategies that are far beyond what Title 24 voluntary measures and even LEED requires.
La Semilla leverages a network of diverse, partnerships that will govern the implementation of its initiatives. By bringing together community members, local organizations, government agencies, and other key partners, the project fosters a collaborative environment where all voices are heard and valued. This inclusive approach ensures that the needs and priorities of the entire community are considered, leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes.
Our Community Programming Partners
Wild Willow Farm & Education Center is a non-profit that educates, cultivates, and empowers sustainable food gardens, and community greening workshops.
Peninsula Bikes is a small local business who are active community members with a passion for bicycling and will promote zero-emission transportation.
Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) is a non-profit that advocates for environmental justice in San Diego and collaborator on air quality programs.
San Pasqual Band of the Kumeyaay Nation will bring indigenous perspectives to activities and ensure tribal representation in indigenous practices on the land.
County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services and City of San Diego Community Emergency Response Team provide emergency preparedness expertise. They are excited for the project to serve as a hub for CERT training for emergency services in the neighborhood.
SANDAG and City of San Diego provide micro-mobility expertise. Casa Familiar has a long history collaborating with both organizations to bring resources to the San Ysidro.
Avanzando San Ysidro: Community Land Trust (CLT) residents to provide input and direction and will ensure resident representation.
AVANZANDO SAN YSIDRO
COMMUNITY LAND TRUST: PERMANENT AFFORDABILITY
AVANZANDO SAN YSIDRO COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
(ASYCLT)
Casa Familiar’s Avanzando San Ysidro Community Land Trust (ASY-CLT) project is a 103-unit multi-family, mixed-use affordable housing development designed to integrate residential homes, commercial spaces, and climate resiliency design initiatives to foster connectivity and access to essential community resources.
The Community Land Trust , or “CLT”, is an ownership model that will work as an anti-displacement strategy to help remove land from the speculative real estate market. The CLT land is legally separated from the housing and amenities on it, as it is held in trust. All improvements on the CLT will be governed by a board of resident stakeholders and a ground lease that will dictate the terms of sales and rents to keep the housing affordable.
The ASY-CLT project will be built on two sites in the historic village area of San Ysidro, less than half a mile apart from each other. The ASY-CLT is a family-centered project that envisions housing beyond development to approach climate resiliency, anti-displacement strategies, and community health, through design and programming. This project will provide 1-2- and 3-bedroom units dedicated to bolstering multi-generational households in the San Diego area, where the population comprises 93% Latino/a individuals. With a 9% rate of homeownership in San Ysidro, this housing development will provide rent to homeownership opportunities to families that occupy the units earning 30-60% Average Median Income.
Figure 1: Cypress Dr. Site of ASY-CLT Project with 46 units; Figure 2: S. Vista Ave. and Cottonwood Rd. Site of ASY-CLT Project with 57 units
The ASY-CLT is a transit-oriented project that will include a Green Building certification that verifies the building meets environmental, energy, human health, and other standards in its design. Other project amenities include:
- PV Solar Panels
- EV Chargers
- EV Car Share
- EV Circulator
- Secured Bike Racks
- High Air Filtration System
- Air Purification Trees
- Community Spaces
CULTURAL CORRIDOR:VIBRANT CONNECTIONS THROUGH COLLABORATION
CULTURAL CORRIDOR: VIBRANT CONNECTIONS THROUGH COLLABORATION
The Cultural Corridor is a programmatic place-making strategy for the quarter mile of Cypress Drive in the historic center of San Ysidro, a highly trafficked alleyway connecting the Beyer trolley station to the business district of San Ysidro Blvd. It is an ongoing project of Casa to advocate innovative interventions to transform this alleyway with poor infrastructure, into a vibrant corridor connecting existing community assets while improving social and environmental equity, safety, and quality through public art, safe pathways for pedestrians, appropriate illumination, and vehicle speed control solutions.
As a result of these community focused efforts, beautification projects continue to advance along the Corridor with support from the community and additional funding secured for the installation of 6 new murals and greening projects. The City of San Diego Mayor, Todd Gloria has committed $800,000 to the project and MTS has applied for additional funding. In February 2023, the Cultural Corridor was assigned a Capital Improvement Project number and designations, which opens the potential for additional funding and is a mechanism to ensure proper planning and design.
A REAP HIT grant will add to the work the community started with an additional 1.5 million dollars to the Cultural Corridor. These funds will add to the undergrounding of utilities in the community and safety measures. The project is set to be developed in 2 phases, the first phase of vehicle speed measures, pedestrian path are set to begin in late 2024, the second phase that includes undergrounding of utilities and adequate public lighting.
Check out this recent article by local media inewsource detailing the importance of the planned upgrades for this critical connector for the community.
“It’s about challenging development without displacement in San Ysidro – a border community. It’s about a new expectation of understanding the needs of a border community and connecting to its strength as a civically engaged neighborhood.”
~Lisa Cuestas, CEO of Casa Familiar
OUR SUPPORTERS
