KTGY’s Proposed Seniors Community Will Contribute to Revitalization of Downtown Martinez

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorMartinez, Calif.–Nonprofit developer Resources for Community Development (RCD) and KTGY Group Inc., Architecture and Planning, are proposing to contribute to the renaissance of Martinez’s downtown area. Using the inspiration of the local architecture and the latest in green building technologies and design, RCD is in negotiations to purchase 1.03 acres at 310 Berrellesa St. in Martinez as the site to build Berrellesa Palms.Designed by KTGY, Berrellesa Palms is a proposed environmentally- and pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented community, which will provide 48 one-bedroom apartments (plus an on-site manager’s unit) for active seniors 55 years of age and over, with rents at levels affordable to working as well as retired individuals and couples.Berrellesa Palms’ community amenities will include a large multi-purpose meeting/community room, library, computer center, exercise room, and resident support services such as social gatherings and events, educational workshops and classes. The design also includes a lushly landscaped patio, a courtyard garden and raised planting beds for residents. The development of Berrellesa Palms would provide area seniors with an opportunity to enjoy high-quality new homes conveniently located within walking distance of downtown retail and commercial services and mass transit.”There is a significant need for affordable senior housing in the City of Martinez and I look forward to this project providing a catalyst to get others to invest in our downtown,” says Bob Glover, executive director, eastern division for Home Builders Association of Northern California and former City of Martinez Planning Commissioner.Berrellesa Palms is estimated to represent an $18.5 million public/private investment in the City of Martinez’s downtown neighborhood, $13.7 million of which is private equity or conventional debt. In addition, a $10.2 million conventional construction loan is anticipated.
“Oftentimes, when residents hear the words ‘affordable housing,’ they immediately envision substandard housing and an owner that doesn’t care about the property or its residents or neighbors,” says Jill Williams, AIA, principal at KTGY, based in Oakland, Calif. “This is certainly not the case with Berkeley-based RCD, one of the top affordable housing developers in the nation, according to Affordable Housing Finance magazine. RCD is known for their quality and dedication to creating and preserving affordable housing for those with the fewest options.”Overall energy performance for Berrellesa Palms is expected to exceed Title 24 by over 15 percent and will include ENERGY STAR appliances in all units, energy-efficient, low-mercury lighting, double-paned and double glazed low E windows, low-flow restrictors on bathroom and kitchen faucets, recycled content carpet and ground concrete flooring, and low or no-VOC paints; formaldehyde-free cabinet boxes, counter top substrates, and building insulation; implementation of indoor construction air quality management plan, construction waste recycling plan that diverts 75% of construction waste from landfills, a recycling trash chute for residents; and drought tolerant landscaping, bioswale drainage and filtration and water permeable pavement.With approvals, construction could begin on Berrellesa Palms in fall 2010, with completion anticipated for winter 2011.