San Mateo County celebrates largest affordable housing project with 147 new homes in Daly City
San Mateo County, California – Local officials commemorated a significant turning point in Daly City, thus transforming the affordable housing scene in San Mateo County dramatically. Years of preparation and collaboration later, the first 147 new affordable houses are officially finished at the Midway Village redevelopment; shovels are already in the ground for 113 more homes as the project’s next phase starts. Reflecting a great dedication to meet the pressing demands of local families, this rehabilitation is the greatest affordable housing project ever done in the history of the county.
Community members, local officials, and nonprofit partners gathered for a ribbon-cutting at Midway Village I, which brings modern, income-restricted apartments to families earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area’s median income. Describing the neighborhood’s transformation from an aged, obsolete complex to a thriving new community, Board of Supervisors President David Canepa underlined the importance of this development. For years, the neighborhood around the Cow Palace battled worn-down structures and dubious future. With 147 new units ready and more coming, there is now a real sense of renewal.
MidPen Housing, a nonprofit developer focusing on affordable homes, is spearheading the change. Midway Village I offers a variety of new houses, including 27 units set aside specifically for local teachers and 12 apartments devoted to young adults exiting the foster care system. Every unit has modern touches—in-unit laundry, electric stove full kitchen, and access to community amenities including a learning center, outdoor play areas, and even safe bike storage. Art installations brighten shared spaces, adding to the feeling of home.
This is only the start. Ultimately replacing 150 decaying units with 555 modern flats on the same county-owned property, the whole vision for Midway Village will develop in four phases. The proposal guarantees that families won’t be left behind throughout the transition by stressing community engagement and giving present residents’ relocation choices top priority. From reserving the land and supplying essential finance to giving project-based vouchers that would maintain rent reasonable for those in most need, Debbie McIntyre, executive director of the San Mateo County Housing Authority, underlined the agency’s involvement in the process.
Now under development, Midway Village 2 is anticipated to be finished by 2027 and will bring much-needed bigger apartments—two, three, and four bedrooms—to serve families. Of the 113 new houses, 29 are reserved for people requiring additional help under the Housing for a Healthy California initiative. Designed to benefit over 100 children from low-income families in the surrounding area, Peninsula Family Service will run a 15,000-square-foot child care facility included in the next phase.
Multiple public sources, including a $14 million loan from the county housing authority, a $8 million county loan made possible by federal relief funds, and a $6.3 million loan secured via a state housing award, are providing financing for this ambitious second phase. Furthermore, 76 project-based vouchers will allow families struggling financially to afford rentals.
The continuing Midway Village renovation is evidence for both officials and citizens that large-scale, public-private initiatives can significantly impact the struggle for housing stability. Long-time residents will have first priority to move into renovated houses as each new phase opens—an essential pledge as Daly City’s largest affordable housing revolution keeps taking shape.
