Urban Farm Development with 359 Units Proposed in Santa Clara

Urban Farm Development with 359 Units Proposed in Santa Clara


December 6, 2016

 

Planning Application for Core Companies’ Game Changing Urban Farm Filed with City

Santa Clara, CA – The Core Companies today submitted its planning application for Santa Clara Sustainable, the transformative housing development and first-of-its-kind urban farm that connects contemporary urban living and affordable housing with Santa Clara’s agricultural past.

The project – a unique public-private partnership with the City of Santa Clara – will house people of all incomes side-by-side, and includ es a dedicated below-market rate component for seniors 62 years-old and over, as well as senior veterans and others struggling to stay in Santa Clara.
Santa Clara Sustainable contemplates 359 units, 181 of which will be below-market-rate. Unlike many projects, plans also includ es housing geared to the city’s invaluable middle-income workers, including nurses, police, teachers, and firefighters.

Paul Ring, VP of Development for the Core Companies explains, “This project was borne out of a dire need to bring affordable housing through a truly creative, community-driven process. Core has kept this mission and urgency at the center of its work and dialogue as it has continued to evolve the project since the RFP.“ Added Ring, “Santa Clara’s seniors have already waited more than a decade for housing at this site. An available below-market home for a senior can be the differentiator between a comfortable, safe environment in which to spend one’s golden years, or an extended period of financial stress and uncertainty. In Core’s portfolio alone there are 634 seniors waiting for space in only 379 units, which rarely become vacant. Santa Clara Sustainable’s below-market homes for seniors will add badly-needed new inventory for those who cannot afford to wait.”

Located on the former UC Davis agricultural research and development site known as the Bay Area Research and Extension Center (BAREC), the open space will be an intergenerational gathering place for the whole community. Situated along the southern edge of the property to maximize sun exposure, the farm will distinguish the project and Santa Clara in an often-repetitive Bay Area development climate while providing healthy sustenance and new outdoor recreational and educational resources to residents and neighbors alike.

Alrie Middlebrook, President of the California Native Garden Foundation shares, “The urban farm is a revolutionary homage to Santa Clara’s agricultural past. The agricultural spaces are expected to be productive soon after residents arrive. Preparation and cultivation of the land will begin shortly after the project’s approval, with delivery of hyper-local fruits, veggies, herbs, and nuts soon to follow.”

Added Middlebrook, “The project team is already busy exploring partnerships throughout Santa Clara’s educational community, with agricultural stewards, senior and veteran advocates and therapeutic organizations, and many local vendors. The project’s and farm’s success will be shared by Core, its invaluable partners and everyday Santa Clarans.”

The project as submitted is the product of a years-long conversation with the community. Core was selected as the master developer through the city’s RFP process in April 2015. Since that time, the team has met with dozens of interested neighbors, community leaders, and public officials, and held five large public meetings where attendees were invited to participate in design and programming charrettes, provide feedback to site plans, and ask questions of the project team and architects.

The Core Companies is launching a new website to keep Santa Clarans and neighbors informed about the project as it moves into the next development phase. The site will feature project updates, new images and plans, and key upcoming milestones throughout the entitlement and permitting process. Interested parties should log on at www.santaclarasustainable.com and register to receive updates.

New, strategic infill development, exemplified by Santa Clara Sustainable, will transform the region to be more walkable and less congested. Silicon Valley has enjoyed unprecedented job and commercial growth in recent years, however housing has lagged and traffic has worsened. Through data-driven “right sized” parking supply, pedestrian-oriented design, and encouragement of multi-modal transportation options, Santa Clara Sustainable embodies a mix of forward-thinking measures that are key to setting a new standard for a more livable South Bay.

Santa Clara Sustainable is designed by master plan architects Open Scope Studios in collaboration with LPMD Architects, which designed the senior housing building, HMH Landscape Architecture and the California Native Garden Foundation, and SDG Architects, which designed the townhomes.

 

About The Core Companies

The Core Companies is a real estate development and construction firm, which was established in 1989. Core harnesses specialized expertise in the design and financing of urban infill residential development to meet often unaddressed housing needs for populations at risk of displacement including very low-income individuals, artists, people with special needs, seniors, and formerly-homeless veterans.

 

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