The first of five affordable housing projects for San Diego Unified School District teachers was approved on Wednesday night. The school board voted unanimously in favor of working with the developer who bid on the project at the Instructional Media Center on Cardinal Lane. The Affordable Workhou se Housing project promises 100% affordability, with 108 one-, two- and three-bedroom units, and some surface lot parking. “It’s a practical solution to a very real problem, and it sends a message that we are committed to stability, not just for employees but for the students,” one speaker said. Board members say the project will be fully funded by the developer, DECRO Corporation based in Culver City, and that the estimated annual rent revenue is $125,000 dollars. It is expected to increase 2.5% each year. Some in the neighborhood are concerned. “We are one way in and one way out. We are built in a canyon,” neighbor Callie Grear said. “Parking here is horrible,” neighbor Paul Grear said. “Everybody is parking in front of our street. I can’t even park in front of my house.” “The safety of our neighborhood is in jeopardy with this plan,” neighbor Patricia Torres said. “We are already overcrowded. We are asking this board to reconsider building on this site.” Despite the pushback, board members unanimously voted in favor of moving forward with the developer on this project. Unless exempt, it will first undergo city scrutiny. There are still four other locations still on which SDUSD wants to build. A vote for housing on those other four properties has been postponed until January so that the school board can hold a workshop and appropriately question the developers that are bidding on those projects. In all five projects, San Diego Unified hopes to build 555 units in the next 10 years. ...read more read less