Eastern Sierra Community Housing and Visionary Home Builders of California Join Forces to Solve a Crisis of Fundamental Wellbeing

Eastern Sierra Community Housing and Visionary Home Builders of California Join Forces to Solve a Crisis of Fundamental Wellbeing

After years of meetings, funding, and purchasing there is finally some significant motion towards fully realizing the Silver Peaks Affordable Housing Development in Bishop

On Tuesday, May 13th, a town hall was hosted by Eastern Sierra Community Housing and Visionary Home Builders at the Eastern Sierra Business Resource Center in Bishop to educate and get feedback on the Silver Peaks Affordable Housing Project.

This will be happening in the dirt lot adjacent to the wall just south of Vons at the corner of MacIver Street and Spruce Street.

The land itself was purchased from LADWP in 2019 and has been a state of limbo ever since as everyone involved had to jump through all the regulatory and political hoops of putting everything else in order, financially speaking.

A significant amount of progress has now been made and everything is falling into place.

With the aid of grants and tax credits the cost of construction and operations are set and ready to go.

Things will be finalized in the coming weeks and months and the project will break ground in December of 2026 with an approximate 24-30 month construction window.

There will be 35 two-bedroom, one-bath units at 1120 square feet and 25 three-bedroom two-bath units at 1326 square feet, each unit having their own full-size washer and dryer, a single parking space, and access to locked bike parking with 30 spaces. The entire development will also be gated.

One of the key pieces of all this are different California green energy initiatives that allow for critical funding. This is going to enhance public transit opportunities and they are currently working on ensuring that all available Eastern Sierra Transit Authority offerings will be free to each resident on a monthly and three year cycle of reassessment. Most of this is already in place but there are still a few more things to iron out.

This property will be deed restricted to median income level assessments for Inyo County and a plan is in place to prioritize local citizens and workers when leases begin to get signed. They will not be advertising to or looking for residents who do not live and work here, such as reaching out to Los Angeles or San Francisco for possible tenants.

This is not a second or third property kind of thing for out-of-towners to get in on.

Rent control caps are in place based on number of tenants and their combined income, assessed yearly in order to maintain proper accountability of low-income access.

The lease will take roughly an hour to work through when the time comes as there are numerous rules and regulations to understand and initial.

In addition to these rental properties there will also be 16 townhomes available for purchase with a garage for two vehicles. These will be constructed last as access to affordable rental properties is the higher priority.

All residents will have completely free-of-additional-charge access to a community center that includes childcare services, a computer lab, financial literacy programs, and education opportunities.

There are three playgrounds planned for different age groups, including a planned half court for teens.

To cap things off, literally, the roofs will feature as many solar panels as is possible and effective with 80% of that power being fed to the residents and 20% to the main office and community center in order to help with electrical costs. The property will also be fully electric so no propane bills.

They are open to all feedback and are willing to hear advice in regards to development options, including overall aesthetic design and a possible vegetable garden, so email [email protected] to make sure your voice is heard.

Readers, please keep in mind that this is simply a run down of the information provided during this meeting. There is much more going on here in terms of financing and the effects it will have on our local community. Stay tuned for more information.

MGraham