Plan to buy hotels for homeless advances

A city proposal to buy two hotels to house up to 400 homeless people cleared a hurdle Wednesday with unanimous approval from the San Diego Public Safety and Livable lic ple cerns Inn ing with comments Not Rick calling Commission, near Neighborhoods residents about everybody Gentry, their in, the found during condominiums. of president city’s a said is Mission a on Committee. few the plan one board Mission meeting, and to meeting Valley convert with CEO Valley held condominium the of already a the idea, remotely Marriot residents San however. has Diego Residence been with complex, had Hous- Pub- peo- con- held and holders to house Using a “Good will $37.7 homeless be Neighbor million formed people from to Committee” continue the during state’s a composed relationship the Project pandemic, Homekey of with area the them. stake- fund city plans South to and buy another a Marriott Residence Residence Inn Inn at at 5400 1865 Kearny Hotel Circle Mesa

Road. units and The cost Hotel $67 Circle million hotel and will the have Kearny 190 affordable Mesa hotel housing will have 142 affordable housing units and cost $39.5 million.

Additional funding will come from loans, developer fees, city money and federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and

Economic Security Act funding.

The units are expected to be open by the end of the year and will be new permanent homes for about 400 people who are staying at a shelter in the San Diego Convention

Center. People not moving into the hotels will instead go to two tented shelters operated by the Alpha Project or a shelter operated by Father Joe’s Villages at Golden Hall.

Residents of Mission Village Condominiums on Hotel

Circle South spoke against the project. One speaker said she was concerned the hotel would be unsafe for its tenants because the neighborhood has no amenities and the pedestrian path to the nearest transit center is not safe.

Marshall Anderson, vice president of government affairs at Downtown San Diego Partnership, supported the hotel purchases and said it was time other communities shared in addressing homelessness.