Rental Units for Lower-Income Tenants Dedicated in Bellflower

City officials have dedicated and opened six new low- and moderate-income rental houses in the south of the city, the vanguard of an estimated $1.6-million development project.

The houses, small two-story structures, have already been rented and tenants began moving in Wednesday morning.

“We’re trying to create rental housing in Bellflower because our young families are getting forced out because the rents are so high,” said Robert Berry, housing specialist for the city.

Rents in the development homes go from roughly $490 a month to $800 a month, depending upon the number of bedrooms. Income levels for eligibility range from $16,000 for one person to $23,000 for four people.

The homes, which are owned by a private developer, will have to remain rental property for at least 10 years, Berry said, after which the developer, John Fearnley, may sell or convert the homes. The tenants will have the option of buying the homes then.

The six homes cost $395,000 to build, a cost shared by Fearnley, the Bank of America and block grants to Bellflower from the California Housing Financing Agency. The development project will produce 36 additional housing units on various sites in the southwestern portion of the city.

“It’s sort of a revitalization project,” said Mayor John Ansdell.