One of Santa Barbara’s gateways soon could be home to hundreds of middle-income workers.

The Housing Authority’s 63-unit apartment project at 400 W. Carrillo St. is scheduled to go before the Historic Landmarks Commission on Wednesday for a concept review.

Unlike the array of apartment projects approved by the city since 2013, the Carrillo Street project would be 100% rent-controlled.

The units would be offered to moderate-income families earning between 80% and 120% of the area median income, and middle-income affordable renters earning between 120% and 160% of the AMI.

According to the U.S. Census, the area median income for Santa Barbara is about $84,000.

“This is one of the most important affordable housing developments for the City of Santa Barbara,” said Rob Fredericks, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara. “So many residents, present and past, are being crushed by the cost of housing, paying well over 50% of their income for rent, and being pushed out of the city and being turned into a commuting community.”

The Carrillo Street project is proposed on city land that serves as a commuter lot for downtown workers. One of the reasons the project’s rents could be price controlled is because the land is owned by the city, and the city is working with the Housing Authority on the project.

The development is designed by the Cearnal Collective.

The units would be a mix of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

The project is designed to serve police officers, firefighters, other first responders, teachers and other professions who make too much to qualify for housing subsidies but would struggle to pay the market rate in the city.

“We are excited to be able to provide 63 new apartments for these folks and in a location that is walkable to downtown for work, shopping and entertainment,” project architect Christine Pierron said.

The site is covered by a canopy of trees. The project calls for the removal of eight king palms, one jacaranda and 15 tipu trees from the site.

The project would include 39 one-bedroom units, 19 studios and five two-bedroom units.

“I believe that the development at the Carrillo-Castillo lot is one of the most critically important housing projects to be proposed in Santa Barbara in recent memory,” Councilwoman Meagan Harmon said. “The partnership between the city and the Housing Authority is not only a recognition of the seriousness of our housing crisis, but also a statement about our local government’s commitment to meaningfully partnering with housing providers — in this case, by providing the land — to get housing built.”

Harmon said that by targeting the “missing middle” with the project, the city is acknowledging the difficult realities facing Santa Barbara’s working families.

“Our community’s workforce, its teachers, nurses, first responders, those on whom the functioning of our city depend, are finding it ever more challenging to get and stay housed in Santa Barbara,” Harmon said. “Without reliable housing options, too many of our working residents are forced to build their lives elsewhere.”

About 15,000 people commute daily into the city from the North County and Ventura County to work.

“The negative economic implications of this trend are obvious, and so, too, are the impacts on our community fabric,” Harmon said. “Working families are at the heart of our civic life. With projects like this, we have an opportunity to value them as such.”

Wednesday’s meeting, at 630 Garden St., is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m., and the housing project discussion is expected to start about 2 p.m.