KTGY-Designed Teacher Housing on College Campus Opens

Thompson Dorfman Partners Celebrates Opening of KTGY-Designed Teacher Housing on College Campus
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Sustainable Design and Construction Reuses Surplus Parking Lot to Create Affordable Workforce Housing at Cañada College in San Mateo County

OAKLAND, CALIF. – KTGY Group, Inc., Architectural and Planning, is pleased to announce today that a much anticipated housing development for professors and staff of the San Mateo County Community College District (Cañada College, College of San Mateo and Skyline College) is celebrating its grand opening. Developed by Mill Valley, Calif.-based Education Housing Partners, a non-profit affiliate of Thompson Dorfman Partners, LLC, and designed by KTGY, Cañada Vista in Redwood City will provide 60 high quality, affordable apartment homes for faculty and staff at below market rates, and will serve as an effective recruiting and retention tool for the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD).

In an area dominated by prohibitively high housing costs, this is SMCCCD's second faculty and staff housing development; the first was College Vista built on the College of San Mateo campus in the City of San Mateo. College Vista was also California's first workforce housing project undertaken by a community college district and was so successful that the SMCCCD built Cañada Vista.

Located midway between San Francisco and San Jose, Cañada Vista offers one, two and three bedroom apartments with rents ranging from $975 to $1,600 a month, approximately 50 percent of the current market rate for similar quality apartments in the area. The apartment homes feature spacious deluxe kitchens with gas stoves and Energy Star appliances including refrigerators and upgraded cabinetry, nine-foot ceilings, large picture windows, a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, and all window coverings. Each residence also has hardwood flooring in the entryway, central air conditioning, individual washers/dryers, a linen closet, sliding glass doors, and a large, private patio or deck. Many units have a private attached garage. In addition, the units are wired for computer and internet access and have individual utility meters to encourage conservation.

“Despite the low rental rates for Cañada Vista residents, Cañada Vista offers many of the same well-appointed amenities and features of an upscale, market-rate apartment community,” said KTGY Group’s Principal Stan Braden, AIA, based in Irvine, Calif. “The 60-unit development offers spacious layouts of up to three bedrooms in two and three-story Craftsman-inspired buildings with panoramic views of coastal hills, Silicon Valley, and the San Francisco Bay."

There is also a Clubhouse situated between Cañada Vista’s two buildings. “The Clubhouse is a ‘great room’ complete with a fireplace and is flanked by a kitchen on one side and a game room with a large-screen television on the other. A large covered deck provides a panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay to the east,” Braden noted. Residents can use the Clubhouse facility for parties or dinners, and it can be used for district and faculty meetings.

“The goal with Cañada Vista and College Vista was to create quality, affordable rental housing for San Mateo County's community college faculty and staff in one of the most expensive residential markets in the state,” said Bruce Dorfman, a principal at Thompson Dorfman of Mill Valley, Calif. “By offering attractive workforce housing at affordable rents, SMCCCD is able to recruit and retain valuable college staff and faculty. Cañada Vista is also conveniently located within walking distance to campus classrooms and facilities, providing additional cost and time savings for the residents.”

“By providing housing for our employees, we have a competitive advantage over other colleges in the area who are competing with us to hire talented faculty and staff," said Barbara Christensen, director of community and government relations for the SMCCCD. "We can offer recruited employees first class housing at a bargain price plus a college teaching or support job. Several recruited faculty members who had multiple offers of employment choose to work for us because we offered a terrific housing option. We are just thrilled with the success of both developments and what it means to the district and the quality of education that we can offer our community."

Even before College Vista opened in December 2005, there was a long waiting list of employees who wanted to live there, reports Christensen. Priority for prospective Cañada Vista renters is given to full-time faculty and staff who have never owned a home. “Preference is given to those employees who earn 120 percent of the median income for the area or less,” said Christensen. “Qualified employees can rent for up to five years at Cañada Vista; the idea being that they can set aside money during this time to purchase a home.” The District also has a mortgage-assistance program offering low-cost second mortgages of up to $75,000 to help faculty and staff buy a home.

Dorfman added that despite budget constraints, he believes many school districts around the state and the country still have the capacity to follow SMCCCD's lead. "Cañada Vista is a prime example of a self-sustaining community -- environmentally, socially and also economically. Because of the financing structure and the fact that SMCCCD already owned the land, no district general funds were used for the improvements or operations, as the rents cover operating costs, reserves and debt service. Even with a softening residential market, home prices and rental rates are still well beyond what most starting teachers can afford in metropolitan areas in California, so this type of workforce housing is as vital as ever," said Dorfman.

“Long term, this type of housing supports education and the community, and validates the concept of quality infill development,” stated Dorfman. “Cañada Vista is a model for both successful public-private partnership and workforce housing that can easily be replicated by other school districts and public agencies in areas nationwide with a high cost of living. It also demonstrates how school districts, public agencies and private companies can use underutilized parking lots for housing and protect their open space." Cañada Vista was built on the site of a former 2.75-acre parking lot.

Thompson Dorfman, in conjunction with KTGY, developed a similar workforce housing development for the Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD), Casa del Maestro, at a former middle school site in April 2002. Due to overwhelming demand from its faculty and staff, SCUSD built a second phase to nearly double the number of units available.

Thompson Dorfman Partners is an award-winning developer best known for its luxury residential developments. The 10-year-old firm has developed more than $1.7 billion in projects throughout California. Last year, Thompson Dorfman completed 555 YVR, Downtown Walnut Creek’s first transit-oriented luxury residential community, developed with the young professionals in mind. 555 YVR is a stylish, amenity-rich, green development located within walking distance to BART and Downtown’s shopping and entertainment district. KTGY served as the project architect for 555 YVR.

About Thompson Dorfman Partners, LLC
Thompson Dorfman Partners, LLC is a real estate development and investment company. Formed in 1999 by Will Thompson and Bruce Dorfman, Thompson Dorfman focuses on multi-family residential development, with particular emphasis on well-sited, urban infill and mixed-use properties located in high growth, technology-driven markets in California. The principals of Thompson Dorfman have more than 25 years experience in the industry and Thompson Dorfman have collectively developed 10,000 multifamily homes in 40 California apartment and condominium communities. In 2004 they formed Education Housing Partners, a California non-profit public benefit corporation, in order to facilitate development of workforce housing for employees of school districts and public agencies. For more information, please visit www.thompsondorfman.com.

About San Mateo County Community College District
San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) is a three college District located between San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. The colleges serve more than 42,000 students each year and offer the first two years of instruction in a wide variety of transfer programs as well as more than 90 vocational-technical programs. Students can earn either Associate in Arts or Science degrees or receive Certificates of Proficiency in their chosen fields. The community colleges are College of San Mateo in San Mateo, Skyline College in San Bruno and Cañada College in Redwood City. For more information about SMCCCD, visit www.smccd.edu.

About KTGY Group, Inc.
Established in 1991, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, provides comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, marketing and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, and in Denver. See www.ktgy.com.

UHC Begins Construction on 42-Unit Affordable Housing Community Designed by KTGY Group

Urban Housing Communities Begins Construction on City's First Affordable Apartments Targeting Families in Big Bear Lake

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KTGY-designed $17 Million Community Offers High Quality, Eco-Friendly Workforce Housing

SANTA ANA, CALIF. — Urban Housing Communities LLC (UHC) is pleased to announce construction of The Crossings at Big Bear Lake, a 42-unit affordable housing community developed in collaboration with the City of Big Bear Lake’s Improvement Agency, Bank of America, and architecture and planning firm KTGY Group, Inc. Upon completion next summer, this new $17 million community will offer healthy, supportive and eco-friendly apartment homes to local working families earning between 30 percent and 60 percent of San Bernardino County median income.

Designed by KTGY, The Crossings at Big Bear Lake will offer 28 two-bedroom two-story townhomes and 14 three-bedroom single-story flats averaging approximately 1,100 square feet. Each thoughtfully-planned apartment home will offer central heat, ceiling fans, a covered patio or balcony, energy-efficient kitchen appliances, washer/dryer hookups, high speed internet access and be wired for cable television. Rents are expected to range from $449 to $1,038 per month, based on family size and income level.

Located on 2.60 acres of land on Knickerbocker Road between Pennsylvania Avenue and Maryland Road south of Big Bear Blvd. (Highway 18), the community will feature a spacious 2,500-square-foot community room, a computer lab, a fully-equipped kitchen, a manager’s office, picnic and BBQ areas, a playground, laundry facilities and landscaped courtyard areas. The community room will serve as the location of a supportive services program provided by UHC’s non-profit partner, Central Valley Coalition for Affordable Housing (CVCAH). Designed to meet residents’ specific physical, educational, professional and social needs, CVCAH’s supportive services program will offer health clinics, after-school tutoring, budget planning, credit counseling, resume writing, computer training, fitness/nutrition classes, and targeted youth and senior activities.

The new affordable apartment community will be convenient to schools, public transportation, shopping, medical services, a public park and recreation areas, and is approximately a 10 minute walk from Big Bear Lake Village, the city’s premiere shopping and entertainment district.a

The Crossings at Big Bear Lake represents a milestone for the City, which is home to over 6,000 full-time residents. While the City does offer some affordable housing, its stock consists mainly of aging single-family homes and one affordable senior community. The Crossings at Big Bear Lake will be the City’s first affordable community targeted toward families.

“Most people know Big Bear Lake as a vacation destination, but it’s also a city that confronts the same issues of housing, healthcare and education as more urban areas,” said John Bigley, Chief Operating Officer of Urban Housing Communities. “A certain level of affordability is required to sustain the local workforce that supports the City’s year-round recreation activities that entice vacationers to the area, such as skiing and snowboarding during the winter and boating and biking in the summer. We believe the quality affordable housing offered by The Crossings at Big Bear Lake will help the City achieve its long-term goals by attracting and retaining both businesses and employees,” Bigley added.

"We are so pleased and proud to welcome UHC and Bank of America to the community as our partners in developing high-quality, family-oriented affordable housing for our work force," said Big Bear Lake's City Manager Jeff Mathieu. "We expect this new, fully-appointed apartment community to be an asset for the City of Big Bear Lake by providing our workforce with the opportunity to enjoy the Big Bear lifestyle in a safe, clean and modern environment without the threat of fast rising rents in the future that will surely price them out of the market as soon as the economy recovers."

Situated adjacent to a new neighborhood of single-family developments and across from Big Bear Elementary School, The Crossings at Big Bear Lake will improve vacant, untended property. “The new residential apartment community was planned and designed to fit in with the image of the Big Bear Mountain community,” said KTGY's Chris Texter, AIA, LEED AP and Principal. “Heavy timber wood details can be seen in the corbels supporting the large roof overhangs that are common in Big Bear. The apartment homes are part of a redevelopment infill and include heavy timber gable end framing, stone veneer and siding. Each building is planned in such a way to respect and add to the current street scene, residences, trees and other site opportunities and are oriented around a central garden, tot lot and community center amenities for the families,” Texter added.

“KTGY is committed to Urban Housing Communities’ mission to provide affordable housing within a community design that is contextual and well designed and meets the needs of its residents. We believe that The Crossings at Big Bear Lake achieves UHC’s vision with these beautiful new apartment homes and architecture that evokes a mountain community. We are confident that families will appreciate the high quality and the outstanding amenities that The Crossings at Big Bear Lake has to offer," noted Texter.

SL Residential, the general contractor for the project, began construction on July 15 and plans to recycle at least 75 percent of construction waste. Other eco-friendly design features include solar panels for generating electricity to the community room and common areas; gas condensing tankless water heaters; Energy Star rated lighting, windows and gas appliances; “Dark Sky” compliant exterior lighting; water-saving fixtures in the kitchens and bathrooms; high-efficiency dual-flush toilets; flooring, railings, furniture, BBQs, and trash and recycling receptacles made from recycled content; zero-VOC interior paints and low-VOC interior finishes and adhesives; building materials that contain recycled content and do not emit harmful chemicals; and bike racks. Early in the design process, UHC consulted an arborist in an effort to preserve some of the existing onsite trees.

UHC partnered with the City of Big Bear Lake’s Improvement Agency in 2009 to increase the City’s affordable housing stock in a manner consistent with the goals of the Redevelopment Plan. The Improvement Agency committed funding through a soft loan and UHC secured financing through the highly competitive 9 percent tax credit program. Additional financing for the project was provided by the Bank of America Community Development Corporation (BACDC), Bank of America, National Equity Fund (NEF) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

The Crossings at Big Bear Lake is UHC’s second project to begin construction in less than 30 days. UHC recently broke ground on The Crossings at Escondido, a KTGY-designed residential community that will feature 55 high quality, affordable apartment homes for working families in San Diego County. Families interested in living at The Crossings at Big Bear Lake, should contact AWI Management Corporation, Inc. at (530) 745-6249.

About Urban Housing Communities

Urban Housing Communities LLC is a "mission driven for-profit" affordable housing development partner of Morgan Stanley and Banc of America Community Development Corporation specializing in multifamily and senior housing facilities in California and Hawaii. UHC was formed in 2003 by executives of SunAmerica and ASL Housing, and has since been joined by professionals from KB Home, CalFed Bank and the California State University System. Together, they have financed or developed over 10,000 units of housing. For more information, visit www.uhcllc.net.

About KTGY Group, Inc.
Established in 1991, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, provides comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, marketing and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, and in Denver. See www.ktgy.com.