A project under construction in Santa Maria will soon offer more than 100 seniors a new place to stay at an affordable rate.
It's located on the corner of Miller Street and Santa Maria Way. The new complex will be known as the Santa Maria Studios. It will be five stories tall and include 378 units, half of them being leased as income-based affordable options.
City resident Bettina Arias says she spent months trying to find an affordable housing option for one of her disabled family members, but that they unfortunately passed away before she was able to find accommodations for them.
Arias also tells KSBY that she knows many seniors who are actively looking for housing, saying, "I think it's important the seniors are taken care of like the younger population."
This ongoing issue is something the City of Santa Maria is working to address and resolve.
"Most of us recognize there is a housing issue and crisis of expensive rent and costs for homes," said City of Santa Maria Community Development Director Chuen Ng. He says along with the construction of the Santa Maria Studios, other affordable housing initiatives are in the works across the city.
Ng says Phase 1 of construction for the Santa Maria Studios should be completed by the end of this year, and units will likely be leased out to future tenants as construction begins on Phase 2.
