San Diego is saying goodbye to the old family courthouse downtown to make room for new affordable housing.
Demolition on the courthouse, sited along 6th Avenue and Cedar Street in Cortez Hill, began on Friday.
The building hasn't been used for family law since those services were moved into the new central courthouse.
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Last year, San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher proposed using the building as a temporary shelter for migrant families seeking asylum. Now, he's taking the next step to develop the building into 120 new units of affordable housing.
"One of the challenges is: Everyone wants affordable housing -- everyone wants it as long as it's not near them," Fletcher said on Friday. "But we know this is where housing should be, this location in an urban environment along a transit corridor and walking distances to great services."
The affordable-housing building has been christened "Kindred" and will be eight stories, with 59 units for seniors, 59 for families and two apartments for employees.
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To qualify, prospective households must make less than 60% of the area median income. So, a single occupant's annual income must fall below $48,540, while a household of four would need to make no more than $69,300 to qualify. The 2020 area median income for San Diego County is $92,700.
Demolition is expected to be completed in November 2020. Construction on those units is expected to begin late in 2021.
