Giler Field Housing Proposals Sought

After years of trying to build affordable housing downtown, the city will once again solicit proposals from developers to construct homes on Giler Field.

The City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency board, voted Tuesday to seek bids for developing the eight-acre property along Poindexter Avenue. It also decided not to set a minimum price for the land.

Two earlier attempts to interest developers in Giler Field failed partly because the city was asking too much--$1.5 million--for the property, said Redevelopment Agency Manager Steven Hayes.

The property comes with other strings as well. The city wants no more than 50 homes on the land, purchased by the Redevelopment Agency in 1993. At least eight homes would be built specifically for low-income home buyers.

During their Tuesday meeting, council members discussed three tentative development plans for the property. One plan, by West Venture Cos. of Burbank, would pay the Redevelopment Agency $950,000 for the land.

Another, by Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. of Saticoy, would pay $1 million for the property and build 36 low- or very-low-income homes. However, Cabrillo’s plan would require more than $1 million in financing from the Redevelopment Agency.

The third plan, submitted by the Braemar Group of Agoura Hills, would leave construction of the eight low-income homes to the Redevelopment Agency and pay a total of $825,000 for the land.

The plans, Hayes said before the meeting, were not formal bids, just examples of different ways to approach the project.

“It was just an exercise in seeing what will make the project work,” he said.