VENTURA : Work Begins on Subsidized Housing

Goleta’s drought became Ventura’s gain when the Salvation Army began construction recently on 74 rent-subsidized apartments for senior citizens and disabled adults.

The Salvation Army planned to build the $4.5-million project in Goleta, just north of Santa Barbara, but was forced to look elsewhere when water shortages prompted restrictions on construction, said Margo Reid of Falkenberg/Gilliam Associates Inc., a Pasadena development firm managing the work.

The three-story apartment building at 750 Petit Ave. will contain 56 one-bedroom units and 18 studio apartments. They will be rented exclusively to tenants 62 and older or to those with physical handicaps.

Under income guidelines, tenants can earn no more than 50% of the county’s median income or a maximum of $15,800 for a single person and $18,100 for a couple.

Tenants would pay 30% of their monthly income for housing, with the balance of the $595 to $682 monthly rents subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Salvation Army paid $700,000 for the three-acre orange grove across from Chumash Park. The organization has built similar projects in El Cajon, Oceanside and Santa Fe Springs, beginning in 1985.

A lottery for prospective tenants will be held next spring, with occupancy anticipated by September, 1991.