If there is a premium on green, don’t tell San Francisco-based BRIDGE Housing Corp. As one of the first projects to be completed in a massive, master-planned redevelopment in San Francisco’s Mission Bay district, the affordable housing developer’s Mission Walk community has recently achieved LEED Silver certification by incorporating photovoltaic solar panels, low-VOC paints, and drought resistant landscaping. Oh, and it’s also affordable housing—and for-sale product at that.
With 131 condominium units reserved for residents earning between 80 percent and 120 percent of the area median income, Mission Walk offers first-time homeownership in one of the highest-barrier-to-entry markets in the country. The community rivals the best of its market-rate neighbors in both design and amenities. Oriented toward the adjacent Channel Creek Park and the banks of China Basin, Mission Walk is blocks from AT&T Park, the South of Market business district, and is strategically located on the MUNI light rail system.
“We work in a lot of communities where the acceptance of affordability is limited,” says BRIDGE CEO Cynthia Parker. “But affordable is for teachers and for small business owners, people who simply do not make the wage that affords homeownership. Every city needs both affordable owners and affordable renters. This is our first LEED ownership project, and we want to have all walks of life be able to live in our community.”
