Self-Help Enterprises celebrated on Sept. 25 the grand opening of Maple Meadows, an 80-unit affordable housing development that aims to provide permanently affordable rental homes for working families and residents facing housing challenges in Chowchilla.
The first phase of Maple Meadows includes 34 one-bedroom units, 24 two-bedroom units and 22 three-bedroom units. The units will remain affordable for 55 years, according to Self-Help Enterprises CEO Tom Collishaw.
Collishaw said the development will serve Chowchilla residents earning no more than about $58,000 annually, with many expected to earn much less.
Monthly rents will range from the low $600s to less than $1,500, depending on household income and family size.
The project also includes an on-site community building with space for services, offices, meetings and gatherings. The development is all-electric and includes solar generation designed to offset electricity costs in common areas and residential units.
Jason Bradley, chief of the Project Origination Branch at the California Department of Housing and Community Development, said the department invested more than $21.6 million to help fund the homes and supporting infrastructure. The funding included federal HOME-ARP and National Housing Trust Fund sources, as well as the state Infill Infrastructure Grant Program.
Bradley said Maple Meadows reached construction closing just over a year after its HOME-ARP award and was completed about two and a half years after the award.
A second phase of Maple Meadows is planned to add another 80 units next to the first phase. Bradley said the two phases together would provide nearly a quarter of the affordable homes called for in Chowchilla’s housing plan.
Chowchilla Mayor Kelly Smith said the project helps fill a major void in the community.
Smith cited city housing data showing that 32.8% of Chowchilla households experience housing problems. He added that about 75% of the city’s housing supply was built before 1990.
Collishaw said Self-Help Enterprises’ partnership with Chowchilla extends beyond Maple Meadows, including previous work on homeowner rehabilitation, homebuyer assistance and self-help housing programs.
With the first 80 units now open, officials at Friday’s event said the development represents both a new source of affordable housing for Chowchilla and the beginning of a larger planned community for local families.
