New Celadon apartment complex to benefit elderly, others

Dave Fidlin | Downtown News

A new 17-story highrise building is about to dot San Diego’s skyline. While the new complex has been touted as an enhancement to the Downtown cityscape, developers have a greater mission in mind.

St. Paul’s PACE, an organization billing itself as offering all-inclusive care for the elderly, will have a presence within the new building, dubbed the Celadon, at 9th Avenue and Broadway. It replaces a former parking lot space.

When the Celadon opens in  February, 63 San Diego seniors will have an opportunity to occupy the fully-furnished apartments at an affordable price. The seniors, many with some type of debilitating illness, are deemed frail and already receive services through PACE because of their condition.

St. Paul’s relationship with the developers of the Celadon comes on the heels of a partnership a year ago that gave 11 seniors an opportunity to improve their living quarters by taking up residence at the three-story Parker-Kier apartment site in Bankers Hill.

The new living quarters at Parker-Kier have reportedly been a welcome reprieve for the PACE recipients. According to the organization, many of the seniors previously lived in single-room occupancy apartments with shared bathrooms and, in some cases, bug infestation problems.

Curran Gaughan, social work supervisor with St. Paul’s PACE, said collaboration between a cross-section of different financiers, organizations and agencies has made the housing arrangements a reality.

“There really are many different parties involved in this,” Gaughan said. “I think it’s going to be a win-win for everyone involved. For us, it’s going to give seniors an opportunity to live with dignity.”

The San Diego Housing Commission has been one of the key backers of the PACE arrangement. Other financial contributors to the project include County of San Diego’s Behavioral Health Services, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, California Housing Finance Agency and U.S. Bank.

The 63 PACE apartments at the downtown Celadon complex are one piece of a larger puzzle. San Francisco-based BRIDGE Housing has developed the property, which will feature a total of 250 apartments aimed at individuals and small families.

All of the apartments within the Celadon – a development carrying a $74.3 million price tag – are described as “affordable” and are being designated for different purposes. In addition to the PACE apartments, an additional 88 units are being designated for San Diegans receiving benefits through the county’s Mental Health Services Act.

BRIDGE, which specializes in affordable housing developments, said a major selling point of the Celadon was its close proximity to a number of amenities. It is three blocks from a major trolley stop and is within walking distance to such venues as grocery stores, a library, post office and park.

“We are delighted to bring this volume of affordability and resident services to downtown San Diego – particularly at a transit-oriented location,” BRIDGE President and CEO Cynthia Parker said in a statement.

The apartment units are largely subsidized, though PACE and MHSA recipients will typically pay a small percentage of the overall rental cost. In each instance, the rental amount is meant to fall well within the recipient’s monthly income.

In some instances, Gaughan said PACE recipients have been contending with apartment rental fees that exceeded their monthly incomes in other living arrangements. In the case of the Parker-Kier and Celadon sites, a cap has been placed to prevent such occurrences from happening in the future.

Seniors living in the Parker-Kier development pay 20 percent of their monthly income, and a similar set-up is expected at the Celadon.

While PACE is playing a role in assisting the seniors in relocating to their new living quarters, staff members of the organization will continue to assist recipients after the transition has been completed.

The goal, Gaughan said, is to ensure the recipients can live independently. But PACE will provide medication services, light housekeeping, bathing and laundry services.

“There’s much more to all this than just putting up a building and having people move in,” Gaughan said. “We’re going to be there to step in and help out.”

While no future housing plans have been finalized, Gaughan said he is optimistic additional subsidized apartment units could be created for PACE recipients.

“This seems to be a system that is working well,” he said. “We’ve been having some exciting results come from all this.”

For more information on St. Paul’s PACE, visit the organization’s website at stpaulspace.org.

—Dave Fidlin has been a professional journalist for more than a dozen years. Throughout his career, he has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines and websites across the nation. He has a special affinity for San Diego and its people. Contact him at [email protected].