Effort to transform Downtown’s Hotel Churchill into affordable living underway

david fidlin

Much like the lives of some of its intended residents, a century-old hotel in the heart of San Diego’s Downtown has a long, storied life that has been filled with trials and triumphs.

After sitting dormant for nearly a decade and facing an uncertain future, an effort to breathe new life into Hotel Churchill at 827 C St. has been picking up steam. The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) has been spearheading an effort to transform the property into affordable housing for 72 people.

SDHC acquired oversight of the seven-story building in 2011 after engaging in foreclosure proceedings with former owner J&J Properties. During a two-year span, SDHC began assembling a long-term plan for the Churchill site. A year ago, city officials gave the green light to proceed.

When the doors open to residents by a projected date early in 2016, the historic property — to be simply renamed The Churchill — is expected to offer the six-dozen studio apartments to people on or at the verge of homelessness.

Intended recipients include seniors and veterans. All residents living in the development will be at or below the threshold of San Diego’s area median income, which currently hovers around $28,250 annually, per person.

As with many housing initiatives aimed at helping homeless and poverty-stricken people get back on their feet, SDHC has been collaborating with a number of local agencies and organizations as the logistics of The Churchill have been fleshed out.

SDHC, established in 1979 as a public agency, created its own nonprofit affiliate, Housing Development Partners (HDP), in 1990. The two entities have been working in tandem on the Churchill effort the past year, and HDP has been tasked with overseeing the overhaul of the interior of the site.

Since its creation nearly a quarter century ago, HDP is credited with preserving 1,052 units for the benefit of affordable housing.

Maria Velasquez, vice president of SDHC’s community relations and communications department, said the partnership has been marked by collaboration because SDHC and HDP are each committed to preserving affordable housing within the city.

“Renovations of The Churchill are scheduled to begin by the beginning of 2015, after demolition work currently under way is finished,” Velasquez said. “Construction to rehabilitate The Churchill will be completed by early 2016.”

Officials involved with the rehabilitation work stress that the timeline toward completion remains fluid. But a progress report released in June revealed the project remains on track for an early 2016 completion.

In its waning years before being boarded up, SDHC officials assert, Hotel Churchill had fallen into a state of dilapidation after the owners of J&J Properties failed to invest the funds to maintain the building.

Current estimates point to the rehabilitation project costing upwards of $17 million. A variety of funding sources — including federal grant dollars — are going into the effort to transform The Churchill.

According to a fact sheet from SDHC, $11.196 million in federal funds are to go toward the project. Two specific initiatives — the Moving to Work rental assistance and Home Investment Partnership programs — account for the federal grant dollars.

While some of the specifics are still being ironed out, several additional entities are being solicited to help close the funding gap. Among them: Civic San Diego, County of San Diego’s Mental Health Services Act program and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In a statement, Richard C. Gentry, president and CEO of SDHC, said partnerships such as The Churchill revitalization effort come to fruition because of strong partnerships within the community.

“Almost nothing SDHC accomplished … was done single-handedly,” Gentry said.

In addition to ensuring tenants have a housing future, the revitalization of The Churchill has another layer of certainty — the building’s vitality. SDHC and HDP’s vision for the site will continue through at least 2078.

“Hotel Churchill will remain permanent affordable housing for the next 65 years under the terms of a proposed ground lease between the SDHC and HDP,” Gentry said in his statement.

For more information on The Churchill revitalization project, visit SDHC’s website at sdhc.org.

Dave Fidlin has been a professional journalist for more than a dozen years. He has a special affinity for San Diego and its people. Contact him at [email protected]