“I’d put us up against anybody,” says Mayor Mark Salinas

Bay Area New Group
By Will McCarthy

April 16, 2023 – On Monday, a group of state and local dignitaries gathered in Hayward on a patch of dirt wedged between a taqueria, a church and a bus stop to celebrate a new affordable housing development for seniors.

But amid the upbeat small talk, table of hors d’oeuvres and soft, beachy licks of a solo guitarist, there was something else—a collective sigh of relief.

“This project could have died,” said Sasha Kergan, the deputy secretary of housing and consumer relations at the Business Consumer Services and Housing Agency. “It’s that bit of hope that we need.”

To Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas, the Mission Paradise project that will be completed by 2025 establishes Hayward as a leader in affordable housing for the region.

“We’re leading the East Bay in providing housing for all income levels,” Salinas said. “I’d put us up against anybody.”

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