Feds urged to reject plan to sell troubled Chinatown building for low-income seniors
A federal agency urging the federal government to reject a proposal to sell a historic Chinatown building for low-income senior residents was met with skepticism by city leaders and the agency’s own staff, who said they were surprised by the recommendation.
A federal agency urging the federal government to reject a proposal to sell a historic Chinatown building for low-income senior residents was met with skepticism by city leaders and the agency’s own staff, who said they were surprised by the recommendation.
The United States Housing and Urban Development Administration this week announced its recommendation to the FHFA, which will make a decision on a plan that calls for the sale of the building at 1415 California St. to a nonprofit for seniors living in the nearby Chinatown neighborhood.
The building, which dates back to the 1920s, has been used predominantly as a senior apartment complex and a church for decades.
The building has been home to the Chinatown Senior Action Club, which provides support services for seniors, and its members have complained for years that the apartments weren’t up to code.
The senior action club, which began as the Chinese and Cultural Cultural Club, is a nonprofit based out of the apartment building, and its members said the group has been instrumental in establishing a more welcoming community for seniors.
The action club has received criticism, however, for being too close to the city to be considered a private charity, and some Chinatown residents who said they believed the club had grown complacent and outdated. The actions club is now affiliated with the nearby Yerba Buena Gardens.
The action club had been working with the city on the building’s rehabilitation, but now it wanted to sell it in order to raise money for a $10.5 million renovation of the building, which includes an addition to the basement where the club is located.
The FHFA, which is a federal agency tasked with promoting housing and community development, recommended Tuesday that FHFA Secretary Julián Castro recommend denial of the sale of 1415 California St. to a nonprofit for seniors living in the nearby Chinatown neighborhood.
Officials of the action club’s founder —
