630 “I” Street

Sacramento, CA 

Client:

Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency 

Commercial Area:

22,000 sf

Residential Area:

74,000 sf

Units:

108 Affordable Units

Owned and operated by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, 626/630 ‘I’ Street was an existing mixed-use building comprised of office and residential uses. The ‘Tenant Improvement’ of this structure updated the 12-story reinforced-concrete building constructed from 1972-1974 with deferred maintenance, repair and waterproofing of the overall existing building shell and roof, and the maintenance and repair of the building MEP systems, the replacement in kind of all exterior glazing and glazing systems and new exterior ‘skin’ cladding improvements for the existing building pursuant to an updated and freshened project identity. There was no change of use for the project  and the ground level, designated ‘630 I Street,’ continues to be devoted to building entry, public and common uses with City Agency offices occupying a portion of the area, as well as the second and third stories.

Designated ‘626 I Street’, the HUD-funded residential living units on floors four through twelve required deferred maintenance (‘repair’), rehabilitation and interior decoration.

ANDALUCIA HEIGHTS – AMCAL

Los Angeles, CA

Client:

AMCAL Multi-Housing & W.O.R.K.S.

Lot Area:

0.9 Acres

Density:

85 du/ac

Units:

580 sf to 1,250 sf

Parking:

75 Subterranean Stalls

Revitalizing a low-income neighborhood in the Westlake District of Los Angeles, Andalucia Heights will provide fresh, quality affordable apartments for families in 1, 2, 3 & 4-bedroom configurations. Type V construction, the contemporary design includes front stoops along 4th Street to integrate the project into the surrounding neighborhood and provides a community feeling with amenities such as courtyards, a garden along Lucas Street, a children’s play area and a community clubhouse. Tenants will have access to a variety of complimentary services, including educational classes courtesy of LifeSTEPS, a non-profit provider of social services for residents of affordable housing in California.

Broadway Villas

Los Angeles, CA

Client:

AMCAL Multihousing, Inc.

Lot Area:

1.1 Acres

Residential Area:

42,000 sf

Commercial Area:

79,000 sf

Total Area:

121,000 sf

Residential Common Area:

7,000 sf

Units:

49 Affordable Senior Apts.

Density:

46 du/ac

This infill development utilizes a vacant site in South Los Angeles by contributing a fresh affordable senior living complex and new grocery market into the context of the neighborhood.   Craftsman-inspired design will blend the project with homes to the east and supply accessibility to a MTA Rapid bus route on Broadway, the Sutton Recreation Center, a Mark Twain Library branch and multiple pharmacies and health clinics.

A unit mix of forty 1-bedroom apartments and nine 2-bedroom apartments, including a Manager’s Unit, are devised in three levels of Type V wood over Type I concrete subterranean parking.  The underground parking allows for 49 cars, doubling the number of stalls required for the site and allowing for 108 on-grade stalls to service the commercial market on the balance of the lot.

100% affordable, the project is financed with allocation of 4% Low-income Housing Tax Credits, conventional debt and public funds from the Prop. 1C Infill Infrastructure Grant fund, federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program and Los Angeles CRA.

The project achieved LEED Gold certification.

CAMINO AL ORO

Los Angeles, CA

Client:

AMCAL Multihousing, Inc.

Area:

1.54 Acres

Units:

102 Affordable Senior Apts.

Unit Size:

560 to 750 sf

Located in the historic Lincoln Heights neighborhood northeast of downtown Los Angeles and just east of Dodger Stadium, Camino Al Oro offers 102 affordable senior units conveniently adjacent to the new Avenue 26 Gold Line Station.  Completed and occupied in 2006, this serviceable project was funded by 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity along with developer and investor equity.

Camino Al Oro is part of the Avenue 26 urban mixed income, mixed-use master development that includes senior apartments, workforce apartments, market-rate condominiums, lofts and retail shops.  This project replaced a blighted, vacant warehouse and is helping to revitalize a historic neighborhood northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

The new housing is located next to the new Avenue 26 Gold Line Station northeast of downtown Los Angeles.  The 5 and 110 freeways close by make the site a convenient location.  The retail space includes various amenities for the neighborhood, as well as the Gold Line riders.

CASTELAR

Los Angeles, CA

Client:

AMCAL Multihousing, Inc.

Area:

1.07 Acres 

Density:

95.3 du/ac

Units:

120 Units

Parking:

120 Stalls

A 101-unit affordable family housing project in Downtown Los Angeles, Castelar is an urban in-fill project at the edge of Chinatown, helping define the gateway into this unique neighborhood.  The project was financed with 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, conventional debt and $525,000 from LAHD and developed in coordination with the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency and the Chinatown Development and Design Advisory.

In 2004, Castelar was named “Best Affordable Housing Development in Downtown LA” by the Downtown News.

CORNERSTONE RESIDENCES AT ST. FRANCIS CENTER

Denver, CO

Owners:

St. Francis Center, 
Rocky Mountain Housing Development Corporation & Key Bank Community Development Corp.

Area:

51,000 sf

Units:

10 furnished Studio Apts.
40 furnished 1-Bedroom Apts.

VTBS Architects was selected to design a new 5-story residence for the chronically homeless in the Curtis Park neighborhood of Denver.  This ‘transitional lifestyle’ building offers individuals and families a place to stabilize their lives prior to moving to independent housing.  The main level houses the support and common areas to foster a sense of community and assistance.  This includes a community room, TV and fitness rooms, an employment center, clinic and a case manager’s office.  Subterranean parking and a rooftop garden terrace offer building support spaces.

Conscious use of sustainable basics from finishes through systems was a priority which included low-emissivity glazing, increased insulation, sun shade devices, operable windows, dual-flush toilets, ENERGY STAR appliances, eco-green elevators, sustainable and recycled materials, composite decking, white roofing and motion sensors on the lighting.

“What makes the Cornerstone Residences at St. Francis unique is its supportive service model in relationship to its design.  It’s not just a building; it’s a model for designing affordable housing that serves the homeless while integrating green and sustainable construction solutions.”
-Joyce Alms-Ransford, Executive Director
Rocky Mountain Housing Development Corporation, Inc.

Longmont Affordable Housing

Longmont, CO

The Lodge at Hover Crossing

Client:

Longmont Housing Development Corporation

Lot Area:

91,000 sf

Total Area:

42,000 sf 

Units:

50 Units – 547 sf

Density:

0.52 FAR

Funding:

Longmont Housing Development Corporation
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development
Colorado Division of Housing
Guaranty Bank & Trust
City of Longmont – Community Development Block Grant & Affordable Housing Fund
Platte River Power

THE HEARTHSTONE AT HOVER CROSSING

Client:

Longmont Housing Development Corporation

Area:

27,270 sf  

Units:

49 1-bdrm Tenant Units – 540sf
One 2-bdrm  Manager’s Unit – 810sf

Funding:

Housing and Urban Development
City of Longmont
Colorado Division of Housing
Federal Home Loan Bank
Longmont Housing Development Corporation
Platte River Power

The Lodge at Hover Crossing and its sister project, the Hearthstone at Hover Crossing, are HUD 202-funded housing campuses serving seniors, meeting the increasing need for housing a services for low and moderate income families, the elderly and persons with disabilities in the community of Longmont, Colorado.

One-bedroom units offer resident comforts including large windows, radiant heating and full kitchens while the careful selection of exterior finishes and residential style help to complement its single-family neighbors. A generous lobby/common area is provided on each floor and lush landscaping and sidewalks surround the property fostering community and exercise.

Montecito Terraces

Panorama City, CA

Client:

AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc.

Site Area:

1.9 Acres

Residential Area:

81,000 sf

Units:

98 Senior Affordable Apartments

Unit Size:

528 sf – 771 sf

Density:

50 du/ac

Parking:

122 Subterranean Stalls

Replacing outdated apartments in Panorama City, CA with a new senior development covering two non-contiguous sites, Montecito Terraces provides 98 1-& 2-bedroom units for low-income seniors. Conceived as a Mediterranean-style design to complement the area’s historic architecture, the complex provides an architectural anchor for future upgrades to the neighborhood. The buildings are three levels of Type-V wood over Type-1 concrete with semi-subterranean parking. Montecito Terraces is the first project designed for AMCAL Multi-housing to receive LEED Gold Certification utilizing sustainable methods including diverting waste from landfills and recycling building materials, low-water use systems (irrigation and personal use), low-VOC paints and high-rated HVAC filters.

100% affordable, the project was financed with an allocation of 9% low-income Housing Tax Credits in 2009, conventional debt and public funds from the Proposition 1C Infill Infrastructure Grant fund, ARRA federal stimulus fund, Los  Angeles Housing Dept., and Los Angeles CRA.

NEW DANA STRAND

Wilmington, CA

Client:

Mercy Housing of California

Lot size:

23 Acres

Units:

77 Single-Family
115 Attached Townhomes
120 Garden Apartments
100 Senior Apartments

Total Units:

412 Units

2008 PCBC Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Affordable Project Under 30 du/ac

A formerly failed public housing project is now a 100% affordable townhouse project  with “defensible space” design techniques, such as front stoops and windows placed as “eyes on the street”, used to engage residents with their neighborhood while creating a sense of place and pride and helping avoid the patterns of isolation and decay of the former project.  Individual entries, varied roof forms and color contrasts provide a sense of individuality to each home. 

Included is a 10,000 sf. Life-Long Learning Center with community rooms, classrooms and recreation facilities, as well as a public park with sports fields.

Pico & Veteran Senior Housing

Zev Yaroslavsky Apartments
Los Angeles, CA

Client:

Menorah Housing Foundation

Lot Area:

0.68 Acres

Building Area:

30,000 sf

Units:

46 Apartments

Parking:

36 Residential & Commercial

Stakeholders:

US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)
County of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Housing Department

2012 Gold Nugget GRAND AWARD
Best Senior Affordable Housing Project

Formerly the Department of Public Social Services for West Los Angeles, the 20-year vacant building was a magnet for weeds, graffiti and vagrants.  Named after LA County Supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky (one of the project’s champions), the project provides 45 1-bedroom affordable senior apartments and one 2-bedroom Manager’s unit within a 2-story wood-framed building over an at-grade concrete parking structure.   The Owner, Menorah Housing Foundation chose to establish their new Headquarters in the ground floor commercial office space.

One challenge of the project was to protect and incorporate the established ficus trees that shade the sidewalk fronting the structure on Pico Boulevard.

PRESIDIO EL CAMINO

Santa Clara, CA

Client:

CORE Affordable Housing

Lot Size:

0.82 Acres  –  35,683 sf

Total Building Area:

32,734 sf

Units:

40 Affordable Units

Density:

0.092 FAR

Parking:

50 Stalls w/2 HC

Bike Parking:

40 Spaces

Sustainability:

LEED Gold Certified

Presidio El Camino is located within two blocks of City Hall, and as such, VTBS Architects was delighted to be charged with the prospect of setting the design character for the revitalization of Santa Clara’s historic city center.  Following the directive of the City of Santa Clara by using California and Spanish Mission architectural styles, this infill project provides desirable affordable housing in 20 studio and 20 1-bedroom apartment configurations with 3,025 square feet of flex space.

A ground-level arched arcade, decorative tile accents and mission towers are a few of the project’s highlights.    The development was constructed as a three-story, Type V-A building with an attached one-story Community Room for residents’ communal activities.

“I’d like to acknowledge how happy The Core Companies is about working with VTBS on the Presidio project.  The architecture has been very well received by the community and I am very proud to have it represent The Core Companies.  It has been a pleasure for me and our construction team to work with your office on this affordable housing project as part of the El Camino Grand Boulevard vision in Santa Clara.”
-Paul Ring, Director of Development 
The CORE Companies

TRIANGLE SQUARE

Hollywood, CA

Client:

McCormack Baron & Salazar 

Lot size:

0.85 Acres

Offices/Community:

31,000 sf

Residential:

80,000 sf

Units:

104 Apartments

Unit Size:

540 sf to 830 sf

Density:

123 du/ac

2008 Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Infill, Redevelopment or Rehab Site Plan

This Elderly Housing Development is a 100% affordable housing project catering to the Alternative Lifestyle community, situated in the heart of Hollywood’s redevelopment and entertainment district.   Triangle Square is the nation’s first affordable, multi-cultural housing development supporting the needs of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) elders.  Affordable monthly rentals ranging from $350-$1,000 are designed as compact one and two-bedroom units placed in two four-story buildings enclosing a central  podium-level courtyard.  The facility has 10 apartments over covered parking, with an outdoor courtyard, pool, and resident lounges on every floor.  One-third of the units are designated for seniors with HIV/AIDS, homeless, or at risk homeless.  The ground floor includes retail, GLEH offices and an Activity Center open to residents and non-residents.  GLEH is a non-profit organization operating affordable, non-discriminatory residential communities and centers.  The Activity Center includes social services, classes and cultural events.

VISTA DEL SOL

Los Angeles, CA

Client:

Lee Group

Total Area:

7.29 Acres 

Community Park Area:

8.5 Acres

Units:

93 Units

Density:

12.76 du/ac Single-Family
21 du/ac Townhomes & Flats

One element of the VTBS-designed Masterplan for the 46-acre Pueblo del Sol community, Vista del Sol Affordable Housing replaces an East L.A. public housing site once deeply troubled by violent gang activity and neglect.   The project provides detached, individually-owned Affordable and Market-Rate two-story 3 & 4-bedroom homes, with 2-car private garages organized around secluded auto courts.  Limited street parking and judicious landscaping all maintained by the HOA heighten visibility, safety and a sense of community.  Semi-private villages connected by paseos relate to an even wider neighborhood by a design that updates the modernist Spanish bungalow idiom and lively color schemes of surrounding working-class homes and of the adjacent schools and church.

Fifth Street Apartments

Santa Monica, CA

Client:

Frymer Construction

Area:

0.172 Acres – 38,520 sf

Retail:

1,000 sf

Units:

28 Moderate-Income & Senior Units

Density:

3.0 FAR

1999 Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Residential Project

The Fifth Street Apartment building is located in the Downtown Commercial District in Santa Monica.  The area’s eclectic creative community and pedestrian orientation dictated the inclusion of an art gallery on the ground level.  The building facades are articulated in color, texture and over-scaled posts and trellises; an architectural vocabulary that reflects the optimistic exuberance of the revitalization of Santa Monica’s vibrant downtown.  The twenty-eight apartments are deed-restricted; twenty-two for moderate income residents and six for Seniors.