After years of planning, shovels finally went in the ground this month on a
four-acre parcel in Salinas, known as the Boronda neighborhood, for the
second farmworker housing complex in the region.
Avila Construction of Monterey, CA, hosted a ceremony on October 10, 2017 to honor the Hibino, Nunes, and Rodriguez families.
The project received overwhelming support from city and county leaders, as well as affordable housing advocates in the region. Casa Boronda will not only serve as a model for the future of California agriculture, but also for the nation’s agriculture industry, speakers at the ceremony told.
Casa Boronda, when completed, will be available for seasonal agricultural employees. The new gated community will include six, two-story apartment buildings (75 units total) with up to eight residents and two full bathrooms per unit on a site that also includes two recreation rooms, a manager’s unit, laundry facilities, basketball and volleyball court, and a sports and recreation field.
The three families involved in this project shared a vision to do something innovative for their labor force that would not only help them recruit and retain employees, while providing an affordable and safe housing environment, but would also serve as a model for social responsibility in the agriculture industry. “This is a win-win situation for our employees, our company and our customers,” said Tom Nunes Jr. “It is not only the right time for such a large undertaking, it is simply the right thing to do.”
The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed by April 2018 with the first occupants moving in on or around May 1, 2018.
In his remarks to the three families spearheading this project, Mike Avila, principal of Avila Construction said; “This is not only a great project for the employees of The Nunes Company; it is important work. It is the type of project everyone at Avila Construction can feel good about.”