Fontana officially broke ground this week on a 50-unit, 100% affordable housing development that will transform a long-vacant, city-owned lot along Sierra Avenue into new homes for low- and very low-income families. Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren, U.S. Representative Norma Torres, and representatives from developer Related California gathered with city staff and development partners for the groundbreaking of Fontana Courtplace I, a three-story residential project expected to be completed in 2027.
The ceremony marked the start of construction on the first of two planned phases at 11172 Sierra Avenue, according to the Fontana Herald News. Fontana Courtplace is planned as a two-phase master development totaling 106 affordable units, with Phase I delivering 50 units across two three-story buildings fronting Sierra Avenue and a future Phase II adding 56 units in a four-story building constructed directly behind the initial structures, according to the California State Clearinghouse. The 4.8-acre site sits on a reconstructed stormwater detention basin and received environmental clearance after Fontana city planners approved a Mitigated Negative Declaration in November 2022, per the same clearinghouse filing.
Congresswoman Torres, who represents Pomona, secured $4 million in federal congressional funding for Fontana Courtplace to help convert the vacant lot into a buildable parcel, according to the City of Fontana. At the groundbreaking, Torres said residents who grow up in Fontana should be able to remain there, adding that out-of-pocket costs are getting out of control while the city continues building for the next generation.
What the New Homes Will Look Like
Fontana Courtplace I will provide 50 income-restricted homes in one- to three-bedroom apartments, serving households earning 30% to 60% of the area's median income. Under 2026 California Department of Housing and Community Development guidelines, the Area Median Income for a four-person household in San Bernardino County is $106,500, according to Urbanize LA. The building's design is all-electric with rooftop solar panels, community spaces, a learning center, and a secure bike room, and the project will also provide onsite social services for residents.
Mayor Warren said the project creates new opportunities, stability and a stronger future for Fontana families, and described Fontana Courtplace I as a project that will become a 100% affordable community housing development. General contractor R.D. Olson Construction and architecture firm KTGY were selected to build and design the multi-building project, according to R.D. Olson Construction.
A Partnership Nearly a Decade in the Making
Fontana Courtplace represents Related California's ninth affordable housing development in Fontana, developed in partnership with LaBarge Industries and the non-profit Foundation for Affordable Housing. Josh LaBarge, CEO of LaBarge Industries, and Ann Silverberg, president and CEO of Related California Affordable, both took part in the groundbreaking. Related California designs its projects to exceed industry benchmarks in design, construction, sustainability and property management, and the firm has worked with more than 30 nonprofit organizations and more than 45 municipalities across the state, with more than 22,500 residential units completed or under construction and over 5,000 more affordable units in pre-development.
Meeting a State-Mandated Housing Target
The project arrives as Fontana works toward a steep state mandate. Under the Southern California Association of Governments' 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation covering 2021 through 2029, Fontana must plan for 17,519 total new housing units, including 5,109 very-low-income and 2,950 low-income units, according to the Southern California Association of Governments. Countywide, San Bernardino County must produce 138,110 new residential units in the same period, with 42% targeted specifically for lower-income households, per the county's Community Indicators report.
That report also found that 49% of county households could afford an entry-level single-family home in 2025, keeping San Bernardino County Southern California's most affordable despite a decade of declining housing affordability. Fontana, incorporated in 1952, now has more than 213,000 residents and continues to experience population growth, which has increased the need for additional affordable housing, and the city ranks among the largest communities in San Bernardino County.
Fontana Courtplace I joins a string of recent residential approvals in the city. Planning commissioners this month cleared condos on Wheeler Avenue and signed off on duplexes near San Sevaine Trail, following an August approval of 108 townhomes at the Walnut Village Plan site. Whether that pace of infill construction can keep up with the county's lower-income housing demand remains an open question as Fontana Courtplace I moves toward its 2027 completion.
