On a 1.83-acre, underutilized infill lot once occupied by warehouses, commercial buildings, and three residences, developers Jamboree Housing Corp. and Innovative Housing Opportunities showed how to bring life and purpose to those in need, as well as create a community with ties to its neighborhood and make the project sustainable.
The 70 units known as Rockwood Apartments rent for 30%, 40%, and 50% of the Orange County, Calif., area’s $88,000 area median income and are targeted at individuals and families who may have chronic mental health challenges or who once were homeless.
Public art welcomes residents to the property and its three-story, podium-style building with Craftsman-style architecture, which fits the city of Anaheim. Units continue that vernacular with stained-glass treatments.
The main gathering hub is a 3,000-square-foot community center in the same building that houses a management office, teaching kitchen, computer lab, and multipurpose room.
Outdoors, there’s a half-basketball court, life-size chess board, fitness facilities, dining area, and community garden.
A separate building in the same architectural style houses laundry equipment. Services are available on-site to help occupants lead healthy, safe lives.
To qualify for LEED for Homes Certified Gold, the apartments and building were outfitted with energy-efficient appliances, low-flow water faucets, low-VOC paints and adhesives, and a solar-heated boiler.
The community garden and other landscaping choices are drought tolerant and watered with an efficient irrigation system. The building’s location also has earned kudos, with an elementary school and public transportation nearby.
The project’s success is credited to the public–private partnership that brought together the developers and the city of Anaheim, Orange County, HUD, and the larger community. The team also involved area students by holding a competition in the planning stage so that the students could name the property and feel a sense of ownership.
.
