KTGY-designed Affordable Seniors Community Opens in Bay Area
ROEM Corporation has announced that its latest affordable seniors housing development, Camino del Rey, has been completed.
By Joshua Ayers, Senior Editor
Santa Clara, Calif.—ROEM Corporation has announced that its latest affordable seniors housing development, Camino del Rey, has been completed. Located in Santa Clara, Calif., the KTGY-designed sustainable community, which is already 100 percent occupied, has added 48 one-bedroom apartments to the market for seniors earning annual incomes at or below 60 percent of the Santa Clara County Area Median Income.
The project is financed with 4 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and tax-exempt bond financing provided by Freddie Mac Credit Enhancement Program. The City of Santa Clara also invested $7 million into the development.
“Providing affordable housing for our community is a very important City Council priority, and we are happy to see this high quality project completed,” says Santa Clara Mayor Jamie L. Matthews. “This project is an excellent example of what the private and public sectors can accomplish by working together to meet affordable housing needs. The City’s Housing Authority is proud to partner with ROEM and others to create these new senior apartments–housing that will be safe, affordable, have easy access to public transportation and shopping, and meet senior needs.”
The $15 million project, which is seeking United States Green Building Council’s LEED-H Platinum certification, features an assortment of landscaped spaces and amenities that complement the three-story mission-style design, including a courtyard located in the center of the C-shaped building that serves as an extension of the community room. In addition to the community room with kitchen, other amenities included at Camino del Rey include a computer room, a fitness center, laundry facility, barbecue areas in the courtyard, community gardens and seating areas.
The community has a reduced number of parking spaces, but has still met the minimum requirement of .7 spaces per unit. The reduction in parking space encourages foot and bicycle traffic and minimizes the need for extra pavement.
Additional green features include water efficient irrigation, efficient HVAC systems, high-efficiency lighting, energy star appliances, insulated windows, natural ventilation in all corridors, low VOC coatings and more.
Other water-efficient and drought tolerant landscaping features include the strategic placement and selections of plants that facilitate privacy, create visual distinction between building elevations and to provide shade in locations throughout the community.
“We are very pleased with the completed project,” says KTGY Principal Keith Labus, AIA, LEED AP. “The quality of the construction looks and feels like a market rate community and the private courtyard is a hidden gem for the residents in this location.
