FY 97 Homeownership Zone
San Juan, Puerto Rico

AMOUNT OF AWARD:

Homeownership Zone Grant — $3,500,000

NEW HOMEOWNER UNITS:

169 (169 new construction)

PROPOSED COMPLETION:

December 2007

HOMEOWNERSHIP ZONE SITE:

The Cantera Peninsula Homeownership Zone (HOZ) is a 290 acre peninsula on the northern edge of San Juan. It is bounded by the Las Casas public housing project on the north and west, the San Jose Lagoon on the east, and the Martin Pena Canal on the south. At the time of the Homeownership Zone designation, the area had a combination of standard publicly-assisted housing, and vacant lots and substandard units. The canal was polluted. The concession area next to the canal was prone to flooding, lacked clear title and had roads that were impassable by emergency vehicles.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

San Juan encountered a number of problems that prevented the implementation of the City's original Homeownership Zone proposal. The original proposal called for the development of 277 units of new homeownership housing, primarily located in one large development in the center of the zone. The City's plan also called for the creation of a central neighborhood plaza, community center, new infrastructure, street improvements, and improved social services. A major canal restoration and flood control project was proposed using other funds. The City has revised its Homeownership Zone strategy to reduce the number of new homeownership units.

FUNDING:

Homeownership Zone Grant — $3,500,000
HOME
CDBG

PARTNERS:

Apoyo Empresarial, Inc. — Nonprofit Housing Developer
Cantera Development Company — Developer

PROJECT OUTCOMES:

Underway

INNOVATIONS:

  • A local recycling business was established and is operated by neighborhood residents.

BEST PRACTICES:

Underway

LESSONS LEARNED:

Underway

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS:

None

Additional Information
 
Content Archived: May 25, 2011