New Affordable Housing Community Does More with Less
January 28, 2010
Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation and the City of San Diego celebrated today the grand opening of Parkside, a new affordable housing community in downtown’s East Village. Parkside is the result of a unique public-private partnership between Wakeland, a private entity, and the city.
“Finding new ways to meet people’s basic needs, such as housing, food and safe places to worship, is a constant challenge during these trying economic times,” said Wakeland President and CEO Ken Sauder. “With Parkside, our goal was to determine an innovative solution that could help meet affordable housing needs in the area, while serving the needs of the broader East Village community.”
Parkside, 77-unit rental community, shares its parcel of land with the recently rebuilt East Village Community Church. Wakeland purchased the land for Parkside from the East Village Community Church. With that money, the Church tore down its existing facility and built a new one using the same architects as Parkside in order to create a cohesive, aesthetically pleasing design that complements the character of the East Village. With the sale complete between Wakeland and the Church, the Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC), working on behalf of the City of San Diego’s Redevelopment Agency, was able to help fund Parkside with roughly $13.8 million and fulfill one of its missions to provide more affordable housing units downtown. No public funds were used build the Church.
“San Diego is growing and we must seize opportunities to maximize land use if we are to accommodate that growth,” said District Two City Councilmember Kevin Faulconer. “Smart, sustainable communities, like Parkside, will be critical to our region’s success.”
The units at Parkside consist of studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts to accommodate the needs of working professionals, seniors and families. According to CCDC, only 10% of total downtown affordable housing units (including Parkside) are available in sizes large enough for families.
Parkside is also designed to receive at least LEED* Silver designation. Its green features include a rooftop photovoltaic panel system that will provide electricity to the community and common areas, higher levels of insulation for more efficient heating and cooling and paints with no volatile organic compounds which have less impact on air quality. In addition, Parkside features water sub metering in each unit that shows residents exactly how much water they use during every day occurrences, such as taking a shower, brushing their teeth or doing the dishes.
Residents of Parkside have access to a number of educational programs and services such as job readiness training, after school tutoring and a computer lab.
Parkside provides homes for individuals and families that earn 50 to 60% of Area Median Income. Rents at Parkside range from $647 to $1,107, depending on level of income.
Other major funders for Parkside include Wells Fargo Bank, Red Capital Group, San Diego Housing Authority and California Community Reinvestment Corporation. Wakeland’s development partners for Parkside included Harper Construction, Benson & Bohl Architects and green consultant Global Green, USA.
To help celebrate the grand opening, several East Village businesses made donations to Parkside or contributed gift certificates to be raffled off to guests of the event. Wakeland’s idea behind the raffle was to help promote the East Village neighborhood and its eclectic mix of businesses. The following businesses participated at the event:
· Albertsons
· The Corner
· Cowboy Star
· Dirty Del’s
· East Village Tavern and Bowl
· The Mission
· Salad Style
Wakeland Housing and Development Corp. was established in 1999 as a nonprofit corporation to develop quality affordable housing projects with resident-education programs for low-income families. The organization has developed, acquired and rehabilitated over 5,000 units and is an affordable housing leader in San Diego and throughout California.
* The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation and the City of San Diego celebrated today the grand opening of Parkside, a new affordable housing community in downtown’s East Village. Parkside is the result of a unique public-private partnership between Wakeland, a private entity, and the city.
“Finding new ways to meet people’s basic needs, such as housing, food and safe places to worship, is a constant challenge during these trying economic times,” said Wakeland President and CEO Ken Sauder. “With Parkside, our goal was to determine an innovative solution that could help meet affordable housing needs in the area, while serving the needs of the broader East Village community.”
Parkside, 77-unit rental community, shares its parcel of land with the recently rebuilt East Village Community Church. Wakeland purchased the land for Parkside from the East Village Community Church. With that money, the Church tore down its existing facility and built a new one using the same architects as Parkside in order to create a cohesive, aesthetically pleasing design that complements the character of the East Village. With the sale complete between Wakeland and the Church, the Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC), working on behalf of the City of San Diego’s Redevelopment Agency, was able to help fund Parkside with roughly $13.8 million and fulfill one of its missions to provide more affordable housing units downtown. No public funds were used build the Church.
“San Diego is growing and we must seize opportunities to maximize land use if we are to accommodate that growth,” said District Two City Councilmember Kevin Faulconer. “Smart, sustainable communities, like Parkside, will be critical to our region’s success.”
The units at Parkside consist of studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts to accommodate the needs of working professionals, seniors and families. According to CCDC, only 10% of total downtown affordable housing units (including Parkside) are available in sizes large enough for families.
Parkside is also designed to receive at least LEED* Silver designation. Its green features include a rooftop photovoltaic panel system that will provide electricity to the community and common areas, higher levels of insulation for more efficient heating and cooling and paints with no volatile organic compounds which have less impact on air quality. In addition, Parkside features water sub metering in each unit that shows residents exactly how much water they use during every day occurrences, such as taking a shower, brushing their teeth or doing the dishes.
Residents of Parkside have access to a number of educational programs and services such as job readiness training, after school tutoring and a computer lab.
Parkside provides homes for individuals and families that earn 50 to 60% of Area Median Income. Rents at Parkside range from $647 to $1,107, depending on level of income.
Other major funders for Parkside include Wells Fargo Bank, Red Capital Group, San Diego Housing Authority and California Community Reinvestment Corporation. Wakeland’s development partners for Parkside included Harper Construction, Benson & Bohl Architects and green consultant Global Green, USA.
To help celebrate the grand opening, several East Village businesses made donations to Parkside or contributed gift certificates to be raffled off to guests of the event. Wakeland’s idea behind the raffle was to help promote the East Village neighborhood and its eclectic mix of businesses. The following businesses participated at the event:
· Albertsons
· The Corner
· Cowboy Star
· Dirty Del’s
· East Village Tavern and Bowl
· The Mission
· Salad Style
Wakeland Housing and Development Corp. was established in 1999 as a nonprofit corporation to develop quality affordable housing projects with resident-education programs for low-income families. The organization has developed, acquired and rehabilitated over 5,000 units and is an affordable housing leader in San Diego and throughout California.
* The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.