100-unit affordable housing community ‘The Iris’ opens in San Ysidro

Housing developer National CORE, the San Diego Housing Commission, the county and city of San Diego celebrated the grand opening Tuesday of a 100-unit affordable housing community in San Ysidro.

The Iris, 1663 Dairy Mart Road, is across the street from a trolley stop and the newly renovated Howard Lane Park. It features 42 one-bedroom, 32 two-bedroom, and 25 three-bedroom apartments for low-income families and individuals, along with a manager’s unit.

“I am proud to support The Iris at San Ysidro because it reflects the kind of thoughtful development our region needs,” said San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre. “It is housing that is affordable, sustainable and connected to parks, transit and community services.”

Residents at The Iris have “extremely low,” to low income making anywhere from 25% to 60% of the Area Median Income. AMI is $130,800 for a family of two, $165,500 for a family of four, according to the county’s figures.

The Iris includes 15 permanent supportive housing units for people who have experienced homelessness and 50 apartments designed to support residents with mobility challenges and five homes for people with hearing loss.

All units at The Iris will be required to remain affordable for 55 years for households with income up to 60% of San Diego’s Area Median Income.

SDHC awarded 25 housing vouchers to The Iris to help pay rent for residents with extremely low income. These vouchers are tied directly to this development, so that when a household moves on, the voucher stays to help another household with extremely low income.

The project was developed by National CORE and featured public/private partnerships, such as a county investment of $5 million from the Innovative Housing Trust Fund and $6.5 million in No Place Like Home funds. County Behavioral Health Services will also provide supportive services to residents for the next 20 years.

The Iris includes a community room with office space, a laundry room and a courtyard play area with outdoor seating.

City News Service contributed to this article.