Montbello community gives themselves needed development with Montbello FreshLo hub

Thursday was the culmination of a lot of work for Khadija Haynes. 

"More work than most people comprehend," she said. "We have a dream, and everybody has a dream. We had a plan." 

She and the Montbello Organizing Committee broke ground on the Montbello FreshLo hub; a six-story building that will bring Montbello things they truly need and want. Included in the plans are a mental health center, office and retail space and a grocery store. Most importantly, however, the plans include 97 affordable housing units for families. 

"Our version of affordable, not other people's version of affordable, which means actually affordable," said Haynes.

She can guarantee that because the building, the land and the project will truly be the communities. The Montbello Organizing Committee, made up of a coalition of Montbello nonprofits and community organizations, raised the money for it and is overseeing its construction. 

"This development is not going to be owned by a developer. It's going to be owned by the community. It's going to be in the community," said Haynes. 

Haynes says that will help them ensure the FreshLo Hub will always bring the community what it needs even as those needs change. Taleah Howard is a lifelong Montbello resident. She says she will look into getting one of those new homes for her family, but she thinks the project will benefit not only her but her whole community by bringing down crime.

"Because people have somewhere to go somewhere they can afford. It's not like, you know, they're picking and choosing, they actually have somewhere to go that they can call home that they can afford to live in," she said. "We desperately need this."

She and her neighbors say it's about time they got something new and good for their often-overlooked community. Even if it took them coming together to do it.

"Everyone deserves a good community-based grocery store, community, front everyone every community deserves so why not us?" asked Montbello resident Ivery Maven.

The community isn't wasting any time- construction is going to start immediately.