Housing for vets moves forward

Construction of 80-unit complex to start in April, with focus on homeless, mentally ill and poor

Construction is expected to begin this spring on an 80-unit housing complex for veterans, six years after the Redlands City Council first signaled its approval for the project.

Work on Liberty Lane at Texas Street and Lugonia Avenue is scheduled to start in April and wrap by fall 2024.

The complex, which will provide permanent housing to veterans struggling with homelessness and mental illness, as well as low-income veteran families, received a $23.6 million grant through the American Rescue Plan-created California Housing Accelerator program, according to federal and San Bernardino County officials in a Jan. 13 news release.

Mayor Eddie Tejeda, who initially voted against the project because of concerns shared by his constituents in District 2, where Liberty Lane will be built, said he’s pleased to see it moving forward now.

“That’s great,” he said by phone Thursday. “I initially voted against it to represent many of my constituents (who were) against the project, but after it was approved by the majority (of the City Council), I worked with my constituents and a developer to address their concerns.”

The project has not had an easy path. A Community of Friends, the developer, pitched the $46 million project in 2017. After the City Council majority approved the developer’s plans in September that year, a citizens group opposed to high-density housing filed a lawsuit.

In the suit, Citizens for Equitable Redlands argued Liberty Lane would impact the environment negatively, but a San Bernardino Supreme Court judge ruled in favor of the project in October 2018.

After the court ruled in favor of the developer, councilmembers’ hands were tied, according to Tejeda, and the project moved forward.

Despite concerns about the addition of high-density housing at Lugonia and Texas, Tejeda said, the environmental impact report for the project indicates that Redlands has a great need for more affordable housing.

“This project will help our city provide much needed affordable housing units, which are necessary now that rents are very high across the region,” he added.

The plan calls for five two-story buildings that would collectively consist of 60 one-bedroom units, 19 two-bedroom units, and one three-bedroom unit. The developer aims to provide 75% of the housing to veterans battling homelessness or living with mental illness, and 25% to low-income veteran families.

Prior to receiving the California Housing Accelerator grant, the developer secured funding from various sources such as the state Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention program and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

“It has been a long road to bring this project to fruition,” Dora Leong Gallo, CEO of A Community of Friends, said in an email. “We have appreciated our partnership with the city and county and the steadfast support of the community for affordable homes for veterans and their families, particularly those who have experienced homelessness.”