Winnie and Yongwei Huang have nourished people in Riverbank with their Chinese food since 2002. They hope to soon provide shelter, too.
The couple just won city approval for 38 small, detached dwellings behind their Patterson Road restaurant, just west of downtown. The eatery has been called Lucky House since it started in 1982, so named because the original owners felt fortunate to have come from China to America.
The Huangs are still seeking some of the funding for the project and do not have a construction timeline. They plan to rent the units to low-income people but have not pinned down the monthly amounts.
The Riverbank Planning Commission voted unanimously for the project June 18. It is on 2.25 vacant acres owned by the Huangs and stretching south to Ward Avenue.
The plan falls under the city’s new “tiny house” ordinance , which allows units as small as 150 square feet. The Huangs’ will be similar to apartments in size. The 24 one-bedroom units will be 426 square feet. The 14 two-bedroom units will be 805 square feet.