- Video shows Sagewood apartments and ribbon cutting with elected officials
- Local officials celebrated the grand opening of the Sagewood Apartments after supply chain issues following the COVID-19 pandemic delayed development.
It’s our local farmworker families growing food like these mandarins that may not be able to afford traditional housing, but the grand opening of a new affordable apartment complex is making it possible.
Elected officials came together to celebrate the opening of the Sagewood Apartments after long lasting impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic delayed construction.
“We did encounter some disruption on the supply chain, not only the parts themselves, but then also once we had all the parts and were able to assemble them here on site there was some delay in the inspections required because there was the backlog,” Heidi Mather, the director of development for Chelsea Investment Corporation said.
The supply chain disruptions delayed the delivery of the switchgear, an essential part in turning on the lights on the property.
“Without that obviously you cannot open your doors. Someone can’t live without having the electricity,” Mather said.
More than three years later the $25.9 million project opens with 72 units available to farmworkers and their families in Southwest Bakersfield.
“A project like this really shows you what our city’s priorities are. We want to make sure folks have affordable housing at all levels, and that includes the entry point of housing which is usually apartments," Manpreet Kaur, the city councilmember in charge of Ward 7 said.
The project began before she took the seat with the council, but she explains she’s proud to see this project finally come to fruition in a community she grew up in.
“It really takes a village to make affordable housing truly affordable and making that a reality,” Kaur added.
Applicants must show that at least one person in their household works in the agriculture industry, and once approved families can expect to pay close to $400 a month for a one bedroom apartment or more than $1000 a month for a three bedroom apartment.
Mather says they’ve approved close to 50 applications so far.
With access to a community garden, a playground, and a community center, upon move-in these families can expect to receive additional support through programs and classes offered on site.
“People that work here in Bakersfield can also live here in Bakersfield, I think that’s really important that they go to the schools here in Bakersfield and really be a part of the fabric of this community,” Mather said.
Farmworker families can expect to move in just before Christmas.
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