Two Affordable Housing Developments in the Works

If you’ve searched for rentals in Petaluma recently, you know that finding something affordable is difficult.

Prices keep going up, in part because there just aren’t that many available units and in part because there is no rent control. (The fact that Petaluma is such a desirable place is another reason.)

To meet the critical need for housing, two projects are currently in the works, both slated to be completed within a year.

The first is Logan Place, a 66-unit development on Petaluma Boulevard North and Shasta Avenue. The project broke ground last year and is expected to open this September, according to Burbank Housing, an affordable housing developer based in Santa Rosa.

Logan Place came close to having its funding pulled, or at least significantly delayed, after Gov. Jerry Brown announced his plan to cut $12.5 billion from the state budget in 2010. But after calls by Mayor Dave Glass and then Assemblyman Jared Huffman, the funding was restored.

Residents of Logan Place will look out onto the Petaluma Bounty Community Farm and we hear that there are plans to collaborate to bring nutritious food to low-income residents.

The second affordable housing project is Kellgren Senior Apartments off North McDowell Boulevard near Corona Road, scheduled to open in early 2014. The 49-unit development will have one-bedroom apartments for qualifying seniors and is named after Tim Kellgren, the pastor of Elim Lutheran Church. It will include gardens, a community room, and resident services and is a project of Petaluma Ecumenical Properties (PEP).

According to Petaluma Housing Director Bonnie Gaebler, seniors and Latino families are two biggest groups in need of affordable housing in Petaluma.

Have you had to search for affordable housing in Petaluma? If so, we want to hear your story. Tell us in the comments or email karina@patch.com