The top innovators in planning, design, and development were honored at the end of May during the annual Gold Nugget Awards ceremony and gala for PCBC, the largest home building tradeshow representing the West Coast.
Jurors selected merit winners and one grand winner in over 50 categories, including single-family production, multifamily, affordable, mixed-use, custom homes, commercial, office, renovations, and site planning, out of roughly 600 U.S. and international entries.
Here’s a roundup of six affordable housing developments that garnered Gold Nugget grand awards.
Best Affordable Housing Community, under 30 du/acre: Citrine Apartments in Healdsburg, Calif.; Builder: R.D Olson; Developer: Seaview Investors; Architect/Designer: AXIS/GFA Architecture + Design
The 37-unit Citrine Apartments became a reality after the city of Healdsburg required affordable housing to be built as part of the approval for a suites hotel project. This model brings the Hotel Trio and much-needed affordable housing to Sonoma County’s wine country.
Best Affordable Housing Community, 30 to 60 du/acre: Bartlett Commons Apartments in Davis, Calif.; Builder and Developer: CFY Development; Architect/Designer: Mogavero Architects
Formerly the site of the Hunt-Wesson Tomato Cannery, Bartlett Commons provides 62 affordable one-, two-, and three-bedroom units for families and individuals in Davis. Sustainability was a priority for the development team, with a thermally efficient building envelope and a rooftop photovoltaic system that offsets 50% of the resident electrical demand and 100% of the common area demand.
Best Affordable Housing Community, 60 du/acre or more: Mosaic Gardens at Westlake in Los Angeles; Builder: Walton Construction Services; Developer: LINC Housing Corp.; Architect/Designer: Lahmon Architects
This 125-unit Mosaic Gardens at Westlake serves some of the most vulnerable in Los Angeles. In response to the homelessness crisis and shortage of affordable housing, nonprofit LINC Housing provides permanent supportive housing with wraparound services for a mix of residents, including families, seniors, homeless, and chronically homeless. The development also helps revitalize the Westlake neighborhood, replacing a blighted site with dilapidated buildings, broken-down cars, and trash.
Best On-the-Boards Affordable Housing Community: Walnut Street Lofts in Denver; Builder: BC Builders; Developer: Medici Consulting Group; Architect/Designer: KEPHART
Walnut Street Lofts will help add to Metro Denver’s housing stock, which suffers from a deficit of over 100,000 affordable homes, with its 66 units serving households earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income. The land in the popular RiNo neighborhood was acquired through a 99-year renewable land lease, which will ensure the community’s affordability.
Best Supportive/Transitional Housing: Alum Rock in San Jose; Builder and Developer: Affirmed Housing Group; Architect/Designer: Dahlin Group Architecture Planning
The mixed-use Alum Rock development in San Jose will provide 87 units of mixed-income housing in the high-cost Silicon Valley. Forty-two of the units will be set aside for formerly homeless individuals, including 14 set aside for Rapid Rehousing and 29 for permanent supportive housing. The transit-oriented development also includes 3,000 square feet of commercial space, bike storage, and 4,000 square feet of community open space and gardens.
Best Affordable Senior Housing Community: Tabora Gardens Senior Apartments in Antioch, Calif.; Builder: Sunseri Construction; Developer: Satellite Affordable Housing Associates; Architect/Designer: PYATOK architecture + urban design
Nonprofit developer Satellite Affordable Housing Associates has created a new home in Antioch, Calif., for 84 low-income seniors, including 34 units set aside for veterans, 12 of whom are formerly chronically homeless. The development is touted as the first development built to use the state’s Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program. Tabora Gardens Senior Apartments also features indoor and outdoor space, including raised beds for gardening, walking paths, and a meditation ring.
View the full list of winners across all the categories here.
