A multigenerational residential community is bringing new life to San Diego’s underserved Bronze Triangle neighborhood. 

COMM22, a 10-year collaboration between nonprofit developer BRIDGE Housing, MAAC Project, and the San Diego Unified School District, has replaced a school district maintenance facility site that had sat vacant for 25 years and was a source of blight.

The master-planned development, so named because of its location at the corner of Commercial and 22nd streets, serves all ages, from young children to seniors, in its two phases of housing and commercial space.

“Where communities meet is our mantra for COMM22,” says Arnulfo Manriquez, president and CEO of MAAC Project, which provides services for families and individuals in San Diego County.

Paseo at COMM22 includes 130 units for families, and Victoria at COMM22 features 70 units of housing for seniors. Paseo serves households earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income (AMI), with 13 units of supportive housing set aside for transition-age youths with mental illness. Victoria’s units are targeted to seniors earning 30% to 50% of the AMI, with 30 of the units receiving Sec. 202 rental subsidies.

More than housing, COMM22 is also a vital mixed-use development, with a local community medical clinic at Paseo, day-care facilities at Victoria, community-serving commercial space, retail, plaza areas for gatherings, and public artwork. Future plans call for for-sale units and market-rate lofts.

The development team also anticipates that the transit-oriented project, which is on the Commercial Street corridor that includes a trolley line, will stimulate growth in Logan Heights, Sherman Heights, and Logan Barrio.

The $80 million master plan, which includes both phases of housing as well as infrastructure improvements, was financed with 4% low-income housing tax credits and tax-exempt bonds. In addition, COMM22 received Sec. 202 capital funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as financial support from a variety of state and local agencies.