ANAHEIM, Calif. (April 26, 2022) — Anaheim is buying a rundown motel on State College Boulevard with plans to convert it to affordable housing and improve the area around State College and La Lincoln Avenue.
The Anaheim City Council voted Tuesday to buy the 32-room Tampico Motel for $5.3 million. The city's housing authority will use $5.5 million in state funding to buy and convert the motel to long-term affordable housing with support services.
The Tampico was built in 1960 and sits on half an acre of land at the busy intersection of State College and Lincoln. Like many motels from the 1960s, the Tampico has outlived its usefulness as lodging for visitors to our city.
Recent years have seen problems at the Tampico and the surrounding area, including chronic drug use, discarded needles and other crimes and quality of life issues for nearby residents and businesses.
Any long-term residents at the motel will be offered city relocation assistance as part of the transition.
While still too early for specific details, affordable housing at the Tampico could be developed for senior residents.
The site will be quality housing with professional management, as with all affordable housing in Anaheim.
The problems seen at the motel site now will not allowed under operation as affordable housing.
Working with nonprofit partners, affordable housing in our city has had a positive impact on surrounding areas.
You can see this just down the street from the Tampico at Lincoln and East Street, where affordable communities blend with market-rate communities and have contributed to the positive redevelopment of the area.
The Tampico will be the third motel conversion project in Anaheim. It will add to 14 dedicated affordable housing communities in the city now with more on the way.
To learn more, see Anaheim.net/Affordable.