Our History

Originally, VVCDC grew out of the Residents’ Council at the Geneva Towers housing development. Its function has always been to ensure that low-income Visitacion Valley residents receive needed services and programs, and to oversee the effectiveness of those services.

In 1995, with the residents’ consent, the City and U.S. Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, formally agreed to demolish Geneva Towers. The City and HUD would partner with a nonprofit developer to build affordable family housing to replace Geneva Towers.

The relocation of the Geneva Towers residents was formalized in an historic Memorandum of Understanding between the City and HUD. In that Memorandum, both parties committed to carrying out a comprehensive Valley revitalization plan.

The two twenty-story Geneva Towers were imploded on May 16, 1998. With the demolition of the Towers, VVCDC was asked to partner with Mercy Charities Housing California to develop replacement housing and ensure tenant representation in the design and build-out processes. In August 1996, VVCDC and MCHC formed a partnership and bought the former Towers site for one dollar.

Between implosion and building of the three replacement complexes, VVCDC took on the extraordinary responsibility of ensuring that displaced residents were informed of the new development’s progress. Former Geneva Towers residents received the right of first refusal and were given first priority to move into the new units and return to their community; VVCDC had oversight of this plan component as well.

As a result of VVCDC’s efforts, and its growing role as an overall community organizing and coordinating agency, the Heritage Homes replacement housing development was granted one of HUD’s 100 national "Best Practices" awards in 1999, and was ultimately chosen as one of the thirteen "Best of the Best Practices" 1999 recipients.

According to HUD, our program attacks "the root causes of neighborhood decline and forge[s] partnerships to build a strengthened community. It is an outstanding example of the promotion of public/private partnerships."