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Summer 2008 From the Executive Director On July 16th RCD broke ground at Shinsei Gardens in Alameda. “Shinsei” is a Japanese word which is translated several ways. One translation is “dignity” which honors our development partner, Operation Dignity. Another translation is “rebirth” which fits with affordable homes built on land that was formerly part of the Navy’s Fleet and Industrial Supply Center.
Revitalization and new starts are what we are about at RCD. We often talk about the importance of an affordable home in stabilizing and improving the lives of individuals and families. Creating and preserving this valuable resource is the core of our mission. But as a builder and community developer, we are also excited by the physical renewal of cities and neighborhoods that our housing represents. Our developments enhance their communities through excellent design and by demonstrating that neighborhoods can attract investment and be rejuvenated. This year we are constructing two large developments that will house families in the heart of East Bay cities: Fox Courts in the booming Uptown section of Oakland and Oxford Plaza next to the David Brower Center in Berkeley. These developments are transit-oriented, green, and offer residents the opportunity to live close to the amenities of downtown. Hundreds of new residents will support area businesses and contribute to the revitalization of the downtowns. With the current housing crisis it is clear that affordable rental housing remains as important as ever. With Shinsei Gardens and other projects on the boards, RCD is poised to keep building, to support our communities and those with the fewest options. Dan Sawislak, RCD Executive Director
Housing Development News Oxford Plaza has been topped off with the construction of the roof deck! The expansive roof deck, which will be an oasis in the downtown, will feature a children’s play area and an “adult” space with attractive landscaping, shade structure, a potting shed, and communal gardening areas. Oxford Plaza and the David Brower Center (DBC) are each more than 50% complete and construction is on target for completion in the first quarter of 2009. Together, Oxford Plaza and the DBC will realize the vision of a unique, cutting edge urban infill development that will be the embodiment of the three E’s of the environmental movement – preserving the natural environment, sustainable economics, and social equity – that RCD and the DBC imagined six and a half years ago.
The design and construction team of WRT Solomon ETC and Cahill Contractors are doing a great job working with the development’s innovative green construction materials and methods. These include the all light gauge metal framing structure, 50% to 80% slag concrete, in-slab radiant heating, and formaldehyde free insulation. Oxford Plaza is among the first construction projects in the nation to use high slag content concrete in a shotcrete application. It will be Green Point Rated when completed and a model green development that will add to the vitality of downtown Berkeley. Applications for the 97 units of workforce and special needs housing will be available after August 15th by calling (510) 495-9091. See also: Oakland Tribune article on the David Brower Center and Oxford Plaza Shinsei Gardens is underway in Alameda! In just 12 months, this vacant lot at the formal Naval Air Station will become home to 39 very low income families, with 12 units specifically set aside for families with a member who is physically disabled. The units will also be targeted to formerly homeless veterans and their families. Designed by Mikiten Architecture, all the units will include elements of universal design. The project is expected to earn a LEED Gold Certification for its incorporation of green building elements.
An MHP award of over $5.7 million was approved by the State HCD for Los Medanos Village, a new 71-unit development for families and transition-aged foster youth in Pittsburg. Architectural design work by Van Meter Willilams Pollack is 100% complete with construction expected to begin in mid-October 2008. Los Medanos Village will be certified as a GreenPoint Rated development by California Build It Green and will include a solar hot water system for pre-heating water for domestic and hydronic space heating purposes, recycled content flooring, and recycling 75% of construction waste. The City of Oakland approved funding for our project at 720 E. 11th Street in the Lower San Antonio District of Oakland and the County of Alameda has approved MHSA and HOPWA funding for special needs units. The Oakland Housing Authority has also committed to funding 16 project-based Section 8 units. With these commitments in place, we have begun working with the architectural firm SMWM to develop schematic designs. Support from the Northern California Community Loan Fund’s Lower San Antonio Fund has enabled us to move forward with site acquisition, which we expect to complete in August. We will build 55 units from one to four bedrooms with a community center that will serve the ethnically and economically diverse community of the Lower San Antonio District.
Resident Services News The transition to summer was heralded by the opening of the pools at Lakeside Apartments in Concord. Volunteers have teamed up with Resident Services Coordinator Paola Laird to offer Wednesday swim classes for up to 10 kids at a time. From basic water safety to improving stroke technique, the kids get plenty of individual coaching and attention. Many thanks to our volunteers – Nancy and Melissa from Diablo Valley College (who also helped with homework during the year) and Eric, who came to us from the Monument Community Partnership (which also offers reading programs.) We held a barbeque at Bella Monte Apartments in Bay Point to mark the transition from our after school youth programs to the summer program. We’re delighted that it seems to have marked a successful transition of another sort for the 30 kids who participated. The kids showed that they have benefited from ten months of dance, arts and crafts, youth led discussion, and team activities. We heard a lot of “please” and “thank you” while they barbequed, drew sidewalk chalk art, played bingo, and tossed water balloons. In a survey for parents designed by LISC AmeriCorps, parents strongly agreed with statements concerning improvements in their child’s attitude, social skills, self-esteem, and ability to resolve conflict and show leadership. One parent noted specific improvement in listening, taking turns, and sharing with other kids.
“When the kids write openly about the serious situations they deal with, you realize how important stable housing and consistent interaction is,” says Youth Activities Coordinator Sehline Ivanhoe. “We come in regularly, once a week and we talk about homework and school, we have fun, we share a healthy snack. You build trust and that opens avenues of communication that show you where support can be most effective.” The need for support services is urgent and to meet it RCD needs to raise $34,000 each month from a variety of sources to ensure that our services are available to meet the diverse needs of our residents. On site resident services coordinators and other service partners bring an important benefit to people living at an RCD property – linking resources and access, creating opportunity and hope.
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