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Fate of $8.1 million housing complex for low-income veterans back in hands of San Bernardino Planning Commission

San Bernardino County Sun - 2/23/2018

Feb. 22--A few months after denying a 29-unit housing development in San Bernardino for low-income veterans, the city's Planning Commission will broach the project's redesign at its March meeting and either reverse or stand by its decision.

The San Bernardino City Council on Wednesday voted to send the $8.1 million project -- proposed last year by the United States Veterans Initiative, a nonprofit serving military veterans and their families -- back to the commission by way of Mayor Carey Davis' tie-breaking vote; Councilman Fred Shorett was absent.

Those against the motion sought to make a final decision on the proposal Wednesday evening.

The three-story complex would go at 488 W. 17th St., and include one-, two-, and three-bedroom units for veterans earning below 61 percent of the average medium income for San Bernardino County. It would not be a homeless shelter, but rather a safety net for the 1,300-plus veterans in San Bernardino on the brink of homelessness.

In September, the Planning Commission approved a 30-unit development U.S.VETS has planned for nearby E Street. The body denied the 17th Street complex over concerns with its compatibility with the neighborhood, architectural design and proximity to the other.

Last month, the City Council heard U.S.VETS' appeal and voiced similar concerns. In response, U.S.VETS officials collaborated with city planning staffers, neighbors and San Bernardino High School students on a redesign.

New renderings scrap the contemporary look for an aesthetic becoming of the neighborhood.

"As an organization, we strive to be mindful and respectful of the community in which we're developing projects," said Lori Allgood, U.S.VETS vice president and director of housing development. "Our main goal is to get it right. It is always our goal to fit in with the community and be a good neighbor to the community."

The .69-acre project site has been an eyesore for years, neighbors said Wednesday.

A couple with the local neighborhood association said from the podium that they researched U.S.VETS extensively and found the nonprofit to be a good partner for the community; the complex would go across the street from San Bernardino High.

And as for residents' safety concerns, Allgood said U.S.VETS operates its facilities very securely.

"What was most heartening (about security questions) was a resident right next door to the project site said she raised her children there, handed out Halloween candy there," Allgood added. "She's not afraid to live in the neighborhood and neither are the high school students who are part of the community as well."

The Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 21, at Council Chambers, 201 N. E St.

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(c)2018 the San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.)

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