In 2005, we worked with community members in Old Town National City to orchestrate the Westside Specific Plan; the community's vision for a vibrant and toxic-free neighborhood. The plan noted the importance of affordable housing units that didn't damage National City’s Paradise Creek, replaced polluted grounds with a healthy community park and was within walking distance of a trolley station.

After ten years, the community’s vision has become a reality. Today, if you walk by the 24th blue line trolley station on 22nd street, you will see people cleaning toxic soil in preparation for the construction of Paradise Creek Apartment Homes- 201 brand-new affordable housing units, developed by Community Housing Works and Related California, predicted to look like the image below. Construction begins in 2015 and plans to finish by 2017.

This project, spearheaded by the community voice, has received recognition across the country, receiving a national award from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The innovative and visionary development has uplifted communities nationwide to use toxic pollution and a lack of transportation justice into opportunities to build better communities and #healthyhoods. We commend National City for prioritizing land use for and committing resources to the Paradise Creek Apartment Homes to help make this community vision a reality.The people of Old Town National City have made history and continue to inspire others to do the same.