The once empty lot covered with weeds and dirt at the corner of Troy Street and Sweetwater Road is now bustling with construction workers.
The site will soon be transformed into temporary housing and services for people experiencing homelessness in East County. There will be 60 cabins that can shelter one to two people each. The county also plans to offer on-site case management support for the residents.
San Diego County announced the finalized purchase of the property from Caltrans earlier this month. The county will spend about $11.1 million to construct the project and will pay $3.6 million per year for operations.
Staff have been contacting neighbors in the surrounding area to let them know of the construction, and they hosted a Zoom meeting last week.
“We all know that communities are safer when people are housed and this project aims to provide safe interim housing to help bridge people to stability and permanency,” said Dijana Beck, director of the county's Office of Homeless Solutions. “This site is going to prioritize residents from Lemon Grove and the surrounding unincorporated area like Spring Valley, for example, and Casa de Oro.”
However, the Troy Street Sleeping Cabins project has hit roadblocks along the way. The county initially planned to build the cabins at a Jamacha site also owned by Caltrans.
The supervisors rescinded that site’s approval and later signed off on the Troy Street location in 2024.
Then, the county struck a sweet deal with Caltrans to rent the site for $1 a month, but in recent months, due to a Trump administration ruling, the county had to purchase the land, which was appraised at $955,000.
Throughout the planning process, the project also faced fierce pushback from Lemon Grove residents and City Council members, most recently at an October county supervisors’ meeting.
Community members flagged concerns about the location — a busy, unwalkable road with little security, safety and resources.
Lemon Grove City Councilmember Yadira Altamirano spoke at the October meeting and still has questions about the project.
“The concerns still exist. We're not quite sure who the operator will be … I would like the community to have input, for there to be some type of accountability program, an oversight committee,” Altamirano said. “We don't know a lot of things. There's still a lot of questions unanswered.”
The county has tried to assuage community concerns by updating the site plans after receiving community feedback. The property will have security and the cabins will be fenced in. The county will also build a sidewalk along the property.
Bill Fulton, codirector of the Center for Housing Policy and Design at UC San Diego, said this interim housing is a step in the right direction to address homelessness.
“The cost is low compared to building a conventional, supportive housing project, which can cost anywhere from $500,000 to a million a unit … And everything that the residents need is right there, so that's good, too,” Fulton said. “The compromise with the community seems to be that it's completely separated from the rest of the community.”
He said the plan to fence off the cabins sends a clear message.
“These folks who live there will never be integrated into the surrounding community,” Fulton said.
County staff said the site will not take walk-ins; people who are screened and deemed eligible will be selected for the cabins.
There also are program rules, including no drugs or alcohol on site and all residents must agree to participate in the program, which includes case management and housing navigation to obtain permanent housing. Residents can stay for up to six months.
The county is looking for a homeless provider to step into the project as the site operator. Once construction is completed, the cabins could open in summer 2027.
For more information on the project, visit https://engage.sandiegocounty.gov/troy-street
