A new affordable housing complex is the first project to break ground in Riverwalk San Diego, a new master-planned community on what was once part of the Riverwalk Golf Course near Fashion Valley Mall.
The Becker is a 190-unit affordable housing complex scheduled to open in 2027. It's named after Evan Becker, a local affordable housing advocate who died in San Diego last month.
Rebecca Louie, the CEO of developer Wakeland Housing, said it's this location that makes this affordable housing project appealing.
"So the special thing about this site that I think makes a difference in actually being able to get something built here, is it really has so much going for it," Louie said.
Many of the jobs in Mission Valley, she said, are in the service industry.
"So we've got lots of retail, lots of hotels, hospitals — all jobs that are filled with people who cannot afford to live here in San Diego," she said. "So to know that we're going to be able to build these homes for them — for the people that work here, for the jobs that we need so much — is just incredibly meaningful."
More than 4,000 new homes are planned for the Riverwalk San Diego community — 430 of them will be affordable units.
A new trolley station is also coming. This transit element helped the developers secure a state grant that's helping build the project.
"Ultimately, it was really the merits of the project, its location next to a brand new trolley station, its location in the heart of this highly resourced Mission Valley neighborhood — that gave us the edge and let us win the financing," said Lisa Huff, the director of development at Wakeland Housing.
The waitlist for homes at The Becker opens in early 2027, according to its website.
