The city of Emeryville, Calif. is in the process of developing a mixed-use affordable apartment community and the city has chosen NHC member EAH Housing as its developer. The neighborhood will be constructed near BART rail systems, retail services and schools for the convenience of future residents. Additionally, construction will be complemented by ongoing improvements to San Pablo Avenue, site of the new community.
The five-level, 86-unit development will feature a community garden and 7,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, a children’s play center and a rooftop sky deck. Apartments will range from one- to-four bedrooms and the development will be environmentally friendly, striving to achieve LEED Silver Certification and Build It Green statuses.
“We are honored to have the City of Emeryville select EAH as the development partner to build much needed affordable family apartment homes in Emeryville,” Mary Murtagh, president and CEO of EAH Housing said in a press release. “This new community will embody both the values of the City and the mission of EAH by melding together quality affordable homes with commercial mixed use on the ground floor, transit-oriented housing, and leading energy efficiency and environmental measures.”
EAH’s transit-oriented housing development will meet an urgent need for residents by reducing the cost of two of the largest parts of the household budget. In 2012 we published Losing Ground, which examined the struggle of working households to afford the combined cost of housing and transportation, as costs for both have steadily increased. EAH’s work is a step in the right direction to ensuring that working families have access to affordable housing and transportation options.
Of the nine potential developers who submitted proposals for the development, EAH Housing received the highest ranking. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2016.