Developer seeking $29 million for 203-unit affordable housing project in Indio

Nonprofit developer Abode Communities presented plans for the Sonora Homes affordable housing project to the community Tuesday, outlining a 203-unit development featuring an early childhood education center.

Brendan O’Donnell, associate vice president at Abode Communities, told more than a dozen attendees the Indio project at Fred Waring Drive and Hoover Avenue will be built in three phases and serve households earning between 30% to 80% of area median income, but the project faces significant funding challenges due to state budget cuts.

“Unfortunately, due to state budget cuts, AHSC is really one of the last remaining sources of funding for affordable housing,” O’Donnell said, referring to the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program.

The state program requires extensive partnership among developers, cities, counties, transportation agencies and community members because it includes a transportation component alongside affordable housing funding.

For the first phase, they will apply for $29 million for the affordable housing portion and additional $9 million for bike lanes, sidewalks, and other transit solutions.

O’Donnell said the development team is working to build support from the city of Indio and Sunline Transit Agency to strengthen their application, noting that collaboration is critical to success.

The first phase will include 107 units with a central community space, followed by 96 units in the second phase and a 12,000-square-foot early childhood education center in the third phase.

Abode Communities is applying for the state funding with an application deadline expected in May. If successful, the organization will continue to apply for remaining funding through 2027 with the goal of starting construction on the first phase in late 2027.

Though an AHSC funding grant is competitive, in the most recent funding round Abode Communities secured $25 million for affordable housing and more than $11 million for bike lanes and other transportation improvements thanks to a partnership between Desert Hot Springs and SunLine.

The Indio Planning Commission unanimously approved some entitlements for the project in April 2025 for the 8.87-acre site adjacent to the County of Riverside Workforce Development Center.

The development will include 300 residential parking spaces plus 24 spaces dedicated to the early childhood education center, all with carports for shade. Amenities will include a pool, community building, and private balconies and porches for residents.

Community members raised concerns during the presentation about whether Indio residents would receive priority for the housing units. O’Donnell explained that while the project cannot legally restrict applicants to city residents, Abode Communities plans to focus marketing efforts locally.

“Generally, our process is about six months before the building is complete, we will start marketing it to the public as available for leasing,” O’Donnell said. “We create our own project specific wait list. We will work with our partners in the community—Lift to Rise, the [Riverside County] Housing Authority—other local housing advocates, to make sure we get the word out there.”

“A lot of what we looked at today came to us through the city, but we also want to hear from the community as to what would be valuable,” O’Donnell said.

Joe Mota, director of power building for the non-profit housing coalition Lift to Rise, urged attendees to contact their councilmembers in Indio and representatives on the SunLine Transit Agency Board of Directors to spread awareness and garner support for the project.

“We are on a deadline, we don’t have much time,” Mota said. “We’re very excited to hopefully bring this project to the city of Indio.”

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