Affirmed Housing has broken ground on Cypress, a $20 million, 63-unit affordable apartment complex in downtown San Diego’s East Village.

A statement from the San Diego-based developer said the transit-friendly project, at 1435 Imperial Ave., will include 62 studio units with support services for homeless individuals, and one manager’s unit. It is being built with $3.4 million in development funding and 62 federal rental housing vouchers awarded by the San Diego Housing Commission, through the commission’s Housing First – San Diego homeless action program.

Officials said Cypress will offer resident services by St. Vincent de Paul Village Inc., and is being built to meet Gold certification standards under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Apartment units will range from 275 to 350 square feet, with access to a 4,000-square-foot common area. Shared amenities will include a community kitchen, technology tables, lounge areas and an outdoor open space.

The six-story community will also have a solar array to offset 60 percent of its common-area electricity usage. The project’s designer is Carrier Johnson + Culture.

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