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By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For Burqueños hoping for relief from the affordable housing crisis, the finish line just moved further away when a promised solution to turn a former hotel into long-term affordable apartments for seniors touted by the mayor during his election quietly fell through.
During the April 6 City Council meeting, Gilbert Ramirez, director of health, housing and homelessness said the city has officially walked away from purchasing the former Ramada Inn at 25 Hotel Circle to create Juniper Flats, a 204-unit affordable complex for seniors earning less than 60% of the area median income.
When Councilor Renée Grout asked why the deal collapsed, Ramirez explained the property wasn’t the turnkey facility the city expected, one that is move-in ready and requires no major repairs. “Upon doing additional investigation… we did identify there were additional improvements needed,” Ramirez said. Because the building required significant work to meet safety and housing standards, the city’s lowered purchase offer was rejected by the property owner. The project has a history of friction; last year, the City Council blocked an administration attempt to rebrand Juniper Flats as “Gateway Seniors.”
With the Juniper Flats deal dead, the city currently has no active hotel-to-housing conversions in the pipeline and is racing to identify a replacement property before state funding expires. State funding of $5 million was to help cover the $22.8 million purchase, with city bonds financing the rest. Ramirez said the administration did not have enough time before the June 30 deadline to complete due diligence and issue a Gross Receipts Tax bond for another property currently on the market.
No viable hotel conversion projects remain for this fiscal year, Ramirez said, though the city will continue working with the state to explore future funding opportunities. The funds remain at risk unless officials quickly screen a new property.
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