San Mateo County facing setback after fire damages affordable housing project
SAN MATEO — An affordable housing project in San Mateo County was devastated by a fire that broke out on Monday morning, halting the development of much-needed housing in the area.
"It's tragic what happened today," said David Canepa, San Mateo County District 5 Supervisor.
While expressing relief that no injuries were reported, Canepa highlighted the broader implications of the incident, particularly amidst the county's ongoing housing crisis.
"Our cost for a house in San Mateo County is one of the highest in the nation at $2 million and we have a lot of people who are interested in having affordable housing, and what this does is it delays what could've happened a lot quicker," Canepa noted.
The building, located on a county-owned vacant parcel behind the Fair Oaks Health Center, was set to provide 179 new affordable apartments, a childcare center, and community open space. The project, which involved an investment of at least $155 million, was part of an extensive planning process aimed at addressing the housing shortage in the county.
"North Fair Oaks, just like in other places in the Bay Area and in San Mateo County the lines of people who apply for this housing online, we're talking about waitlists that are just astronomical, so as a county we prioritize affordable housing with hundreds of millions of dollars to make sure that the housing gets filled," Canepa explained.
A quick glance at the San Mateo Housing website reveals eight open listings, each with stringent requirements and limited availability. The Department of Housing projects that by 2025, the housing supply will only meet one-third to one-half of the demand for housing in San Mateo County, with the shortage hitting lower-income families and individuals the hardest.
"Now we're going to have to rebuild because we understand that people are desperate, and now this sets us back a little bit. But at the end of the day the county is going to stay motivated to make sure we build additional housing," Canepa affirmed.
As the county grapples with this setback, the commitment to developing affordable housing remains steadfast, despite the challenges ahead.