Central Coast housing issues topic of discussion at Seaside meeting

Affordable housing was at the center of a Monday night discussion in Seaside.

Residents from around the Central Coast talked about concerns and worked towards a solution.

“We’re building momentum here and progress but it’s very slow and it’s hard work,” said Matt Huerta, program manager with the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership.

The work is to solve a Central Coast issue at the center of many resident’s lives.

“We have over a thousand seniors on the list for nineteen affordable homes,” said one person in attendance.

“I work for a large produce company, I’m a translator, I also have side jobs,” said another, “Yet I cannot afford a two bedroom house to bring my children into.”

Though the state of housing on the Central Coast was far from encouraging to those at Monday night’s meeting, local leaders did talk about some projects in the works.

“People were really excited to hear from the city about some new projects coming forward on the former Fort Ord campus town that’s going to have 1300 homes potentially,” Huerta said.

Though most people are welcoming any new housing, they also want to make sure it’s the right housing.

“What you heard tonight over and over again was making sure that whatever happens moving forward in terms of development of new housing, it has to meet the needs of the current people here in our community,” said Huerta.

With many people in the community struggling to find or keep housing, leaders say it’s important they continue to play a role in the process of finding solutions.

“We need to make sure that the right kind of policies have more engagement from the residents in order to get the right answers,” Huerta said.

The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership has the meeting in its entirety on its Facebook page. To see it click here.