The Daly City Council has green-lit a major redevelopment plan that aims to rev up the affordable housing scene. During its most recent conclave on February 26, officials gave the nod to the Jefferson Union High School District's (JUHSD) grand redesign of the Serramonte Del Rey Campus, which includes a punchy promise to double the number of affordable homes currently mandated by the city law.

"Investing in the nurturance of future generations is pivotal," Daly City Mayor Juslyn C. Manalo declared, emphasizing her roots as a JUHSD alum in a statement released after the vote. "This beautiful, state of the art project" she championed, "creates local jobs supporting organized labor, affordable childcare, and more opportunities for deeper levels of affordable housing."

Set to transform a sprawling 22-acre lot, and the project plots a course to erect 1,235 units of mixed-affordable and market-rate digs, including the 122 homes already built for district teachers and staff back in 2022. Touted benefits stack up: room for up to 14,000 sq. ft. of local retail, a Head Start affordable childcare facility, accommodations tailored for IDD residents, a suite of wrap-around services, and a dollop of nature with communal greenspace and garden, to name a few.

Residents will have to practice patience, as the full scale of the project is set to stretch over a ten-year timeline. But with the district's determination, they're paving the way for a community boost that some say should have been addressed years ago, speaking to the long-standing need for accessible living options in the bustling Bay Area metropolis.

For more details on the JUHSD Serramonte Del Rey Campus Redevelopment Project, visit the Daly City's official announcement.