Camino del Rey – New LEED-H Platinum Green Built Affordable Senior Housing Community Opens in Santa Clara

MultifamilyBiz.com

June 12, 2014

SANTA CLARA, CA – On Monday, June 9, 2014, the City of Santa Clara welcomed much needed affordable housing for its senior residents. Camino del Rey Senior Apartments, a ROEM Corporation development, offers 48 one-bedroom apartments that are affordable to seniors with annual incomes at or below 60% of the Santa Clara County Area Median Income. Camino del Rey Senior Apartments provides a sustainable and affordable community for its residents while enhancing the El Camino Real Corridor. Located at 2525 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95050, this community is 100% occupied.

“Providing affordable housing for our community is a very important City Council priority, and we are happy to see this high quality project completed,” said Santa Clara Mayor Jamie L. Matthews. “This project is an excellent example of what the private and public sectors can accomplish by working together to meet affordable housing needs. The City’s Housing Authority is proud to partner with ROEM and others to create these new senior apartments–housing that will be safe, affordable, have easy access to public transportation and shopping, and meet senior needs.”

This $15,000,000 development consists of a three-story “C” shaped building, wrapped around a landscaped courtyard, which is also an outdoor extension of the community room. The building’s architectural character pays homage to the mission-style Santa Clara and the El Camino Real Corridor is known for. Contrasting materials and details with subtle punches of accent color can be found throughout the property. Amenities include a community room with kitchen, a computer room, a fitness center, a laundry facility, a courtyard area with barbecue, community gardens, benches, lighting and landscaping, a gate, and fencing.

“At ROEM, we are passionate about our quality of work, the positive impact of our projects on the communities we serve, and the success of our team members and partners,” said Jonathan Emami, Vice President of ROEM Corporation. “It is through successful public-private partnerships, such as the one we share with the City of Santa Clara, that allow for the development of affordable communities for low income seniors, as exemplified in Camino del Rey Senior Apartments. Camino del Rey embodies the commitment of ROEM Corporation to building sustainable housing in which anyone, at any income level, would want to live.”

A primary goal of the landscape design is to create a sense of privacy through visual landscape screening by providing considerable landscape enhancements along the shared property lines and El Camino Real. The visual landscaping techniques used at Camino del Rey provide a continuous canopy of shade along the street and contribute to the inviting curbside appeal. Landscaped areas also incorporate layers of planting, including evergreen foundation planting, perennial foreground beds, and trees to enhance the building elevations.

“AEGON USA Realty Advisors is excited to be part of the development of Camino Del Rey Senior Apartments in Santa Clara, CA. This marks our 7th investment with our valued partner, ROEM Development Corporation,” said Gary Howe, Director at AEGON USA Realty Advisors, LLC. “ROEM continues to build high quality affordable housing in an area where there is an acute shortage of such options. Along with filling a need for area seniors, Camino Del Rey will play an important role in adding new vitality to El Camino Real.”

The residential courtyard is comprised of a variety of multi-use spaces for the enjoyment of the residents, including a dining terrace with outdoor barbecue, community gardens, seating areas, fire pit, and picnic facilities. These spaces are well integrated into a generous garden setting, with significant tree, shrub, vines and flowering perennial plantings, providing shade and an attractive buffer to neighboring residences. Decorative planters are placed near the residents’ patios and bedrooms to provide color and privacy, creating an intimate scale to the garden. Lighting has shielded light sources with sharp photometric cut-offs to minimize glare and direct light onto the garden and plaza areas, creating a warm and inviting space for the residents to enjoy.

“We are very pleased with the completed project,” said KTGY Principal Keith Labus, AIA, LEED AP. “The quality of the construction looks and feels like a market rate community and the private courtyard is a hidden gem for the residents in this location.”

Designed by award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., Camino del Rey Senior Apartments is an environmentally-sensitive development. Currently, Camino del Rey Senior Apartments is pursuing a U.S. Green Building Council LEED-H Platinum certification. The community was designed to specifically reduce the amount of space dedicated to parking while still meeting the minimum requirements of 0.7 spaces/unit. This ultimately makes Camino del Rey more environmentally-friendly by reducing the amount of paved surface area needed, creates more open space. Residents are incentivized to use other means of transportation to reach nearby retail stores and businesses, such as the SaveMart and Palo Alto Medical Foundation situated across the street from the development.

“Camino del Rey is yet another testimonial to the proven commitment that ROEM Corporation has in developing quality affordable housing,” said Mark Wiese, President of Pacific Housing, Inc. “As with all our ROEM partnerships, we are proud to be a partner in Camino del Rey.”

Camino del Rey Senior Apartments is financed with 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and tax-exempt bond financing made possible by Freddie Mac Credit Enhancement Program. ROEM and Pacific Housing, Inc. have partnered with the Citi Community Capital, AEGON USA Realty Advisors, LLC, and the City of Santa Clara for financial support on this project. The City of Santa Clara invested $7,000,000 in this development. The architect is KTGY Group Inc. and the general contractor ROEM Builders, Inc.

Guest speakers included: Mayor Jamie L. Matthews, City of Santa Clara; Jay Abeywardena, Director, Citi Community Capital; Gary Howe, Director, AEGON USA Realty Advisors, LLC; Mark Wiese, President, Pacific Housing, Inc.; Jonathan Emami, Vice President, ROEM Development Corporation; and Aida Duenas, Resident, Camino del Rey Senior Apartments.

ROEM Development Corporation, ROEM Builders, Inc. and its affiliated entities are a full-service development and construction organization that specializes in the acquisition, planning, financing, new construction, renovation, and asset management of affordable and market-rate housing for families and seniors throughout California for over 30 years. As a model developer and proven industry leader in the production of affordable housing, ROEM maintains its commitment to providing high quality housing through its collaboration with the public and private sector and communities alike, while completing developments with quality control and efficiency.

Ranked in the Affordable Housing Finance Top 50 National Developer’s list, and a registered member of USGBC and Build It Green, ROEM is dedicated to creating wholesome communities that are not only sustainable, but are designed smarter to ensure that residents and visitors are healthier, happier, and safer.