By LAURA NEWELL New affordable housing for farm workers debuts this week in Soledad. The Benito Farm Labor Center, which has been rebuilt, is taking applications for tenants and will start moving in residents Tuesday. The center offers one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units that will cost 30 percent of residents' adjusted gross income. A formal grand opening for the project is planned for November. "This is a great price and opportunity for people," said Starla Warren, director of development for the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey, which built the development. The Benito Farm Labor Center represents the first of a two-phase project for farm-worker housing by the Housing Authority. On behalf of agency, the city of Soledad this week plans to submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to undertake construction of the second phase, the Benito Street Affordable housing development, which will feature 70 new housing units and replace old U.S. Department of Agriculture units at 439 Benito St. This development will include a day-care center, multipurpose building and a maintenance shop building. It's expected to open in November 2008. The project will open applications to residents in October or September 2008 for one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units starting as low as $423 for a one bedroom unit and $654 for four bedrooms. The total cost of the construction on the Benito Street Affordable development is $22 million and will be funded by low-income housing tax credits, tax-exempt bonds, Multifamily Housing Program funds, Joe Serna Funds and project based Section 8 vouchers. |