The affordable housing project in Point Reyes Station
is nearly complete, but only about half of the available 27 units are
filled.
Not enough people met the financial criterion. To
be accepted, applicants must make between 35 to 60 percent of the area
median gross income, – no more and no less – said Susan Dutton,
community relations and marketing director for the project’s developer,
Ecumenical Association for Housing. Rents are also subsidized according
to how much tenants make within that range.
An advertisement in The Light last week announced
the re-opening of the waitlist to new applicants.
There are five units set aside for farmworkers. To
qualify for a three bedroom apartment in the "farmworker"
category, the family applying must make between $28,176 and $56,550
annually. For those earning in the low end of that range, rent would
be lower than for those in the high end. Seven units are set aside for
residents of Inverness, Point Reyes Station, Olema, Marshall, Tomales,
Chileno Valley and smaller communities (Tocaloma).
‘Affordable’ rents are unaffordable
Some applicants are complaining that the subsidized
rent is still too high. Jeanette Pontacq of Point Reyes Station told
The Light of those whose applications were accepted by EAH but
were ultimately forced to decline the apartments because the rents were
too expensive.
Michael Sheff and Jenny Barrett, a married couple
with two children who have lived in Point Reyes Station for nearly 30
years, were also offered an apartment. The small house they now rent
on Third Street is strewn with their children’s toys and various
musical instruments, but has storage space, a yard, and a washer and
dryer that the affordable housing apartments can’t match. The advantage
of the EAH home is the number of bedrooms – it has one more than
they have now – but their current home has more square-footage.
Because they are friends with their landlord, their current rent is
cheaper than it would be if they moved. If not for that arrangement,
which Sheff described as "lucky," it would be a "no-brainer"
for them to move. As of Wednesday, they had yet to make a decision.
Some ‘lucky to be included’
There are those satisfied with the process. Stewart
Bryant of Inverness plans to make the move with his wife, Sheila. They
currently rent a house that they sold two years ago.
"We feel very lucky to be included," said
Bryant of their acceptance. He admitted that he was "a bit surprised"
by the price, but that it is "justifiable."
"It’s a great opportunity for staying [near
Point Reyes]," he said. "We’re glad to settle down and
be in this area." Bryant described the units as "modern and
clean. Typical of modern living."
EAH, a nonprofit developer, has worked with the Marin
Housing Authority through the US Housing and Urban Development agency
to oversee the project since its inception in early 2002. Originally,
plans were to build 50 dwellings between Mesa Road and Commodore Webster
Drive, however objections from local residents, rising construction
costs, and difficulties in getting the requisite financing have whittled
the affordable housing rentals to its current number (one unit will
be reserved for an on-site project manager). Seven cottages, once intended
to be sold as affordable homes, were instead sold on the open market
to help subsidize the rental units after costs for the project soared.
"We feel positive that the project will be finished
by the end of the year," said Dutton.
Barbara Collins, affordable housing strategist for
the county, told The Light, "We’re at the final punchlist.
We’re walking through and inspecting every detail."