The Grant at Mission Trails
Grantville // Under construction affordable housing in Grantville on a uniquely shaped site
Maxwell Gergen, Writer & Advocacy Lead
Render of The Grant Mission Trails from Mission Gorge Road, from BSB Design
The Grant Mission Trails is a new affordable housing building currently under construction in Grantville. The building is designed to house 35 families and 12 formerly homeless veterans, using a lot formerly occupied by a two-story retail and office building. Construction has been ongoing since November of 2025 with an expected completion in May 2027.
Image of groundbreaking of The Grant Mission Trails, from SDHF
The project, developed by CRP Affordable Housing & Development, has many sources of funding. It received a $2.2 million dollar loan from the San Diego Housing Commission, a $2.7 million grant from San Diego County, a federal housing tax credit worth $17.3 million, and a local low-income housing tax credit worth 7.6 million dollars. Together, these grants contributed nearly $30 million of the expected $42 million dollar price tag. There was also a $2.4 million dollar private loan to help fund the project.
The Grant Mission Trails consists of 12 one bedroom units, 23 two bedroom units, and 12 three bedroom units, with an additional resident manager unit. Units are restricted to people making between 30% and 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
Image of ground floor layout; from BSB Design
The lot is uniquely shaped—a large right triangle alongside Mission Gorge Road. The design had to weigh a few factors. The ground floor, due to being in a flood zone, required the base be elevated between 5 and 8 feet above grade to avoid flood risk beyond a 100 year flood. The lot size and setbacks limited the usable ground floor area, creating smaller floor plates than most similar projects in height, while creating odd angles and unit shapes. The small roof area leaves limited space for air conditioning units and necessary solar panels, so there is no rooftop resident area.
The ground floor will only consist of community space, office, bike parking, a kids play area, and a club house. A total of 8 parking spaces are provided as well as a few motorcycle parking spots. The above floors are primarily residential, each floor having eight units and a trash room. To allow airflow through the complex, some units have balconies, as do the building’s corridors.
Image of floor 2-7 layout; from BSB Design
The Grant Mission Trails is Des Moines-based BSB Design’s first project in San Diego. The architectural design is quite striking, with bright oranges as the accent color, contrasted with primarily grey scale colors used on the bulk of the building. The balconies and hallway spaces break up the facade nicely.
Image of facade design Mission Gorge Road; from BSB Design
The development is located near the Grantville Trolley station. A planned park between the project and the station would save nearly 5 minutes of walking time should it come to fruition. There is also an MTS route 13 bus stop nearby. With lots of shops and restaurants in the area, and new developments continuing to come online, it is becoming easier to live car free in central Grantville each year.
Render of Grant Mission Trails from the west; from CRP Affordable Housing and Community Development
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SOURCES:
https://www.crpaffordable.com/ourprojects
https://sdhc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/105_Grant-at-Mission-Trails-Loan_final.pdf
https://www.lisc.org/our-resources/resource/grant-mission-trails/
https://www.instagram.com/crpaffordable/p/DMfzTtTvz4t/
https://www.sdbj.com/real-estate/grantville-project-designed-for-current-former-military-members/