Affordable Housing Mistakenly Renting At Market Rates

"Martinez officials are hoping to hold onto a 98-unit apartment complex of affordable senior housing that transitioned into open-market rentals in the past few years under the city's radar."

"The transition came to the attention of city officials after neighborhood complaints about parking. When the Hillside complex at 90 F St. was approved by the city as a senior housing complex in the mid-1980s, it required one parking spot per unit. Two spots are required for family rentals in town now."

"City officials say they want to keep the complex as senior housing, but if the owners decide otherwise, the parking issue will have to be resolved."

"'The loss of 98 units is a major concern, so we really want to convert it back and make it senior-affordable. There's no doubt there's a need for it; we just have to figure out how to make it happen,' said Albert Lopez, Martinez's deputy community development director. 'At its core, it's really a land-use issue. They've taken something that was supposed to be senior housing and turned it into something that it's not built for.'"