HONORABLE MENTIONS: NICHE MARKET
By Land and By Sea
Project: New Orleans Navy Family Housing, Bell Chasse, La.
When completed the New Orleans Navy Family Housing project will consist of 525 new townhouses and 416 renovated apartments. The multifamily buildings are clustered together with front porches facing intimate public greens and quiet streets.
The site is located below sea level, creating an unstable foundation to build on. To shore up land, every 74-square-feet of slab area required a piling. The project was completed four months ahead of time and under budget.
Campus Life
Project: Bayou Oaks, Houston
Bayou Oaks offers a unique approach to student housing. This project built at the University of Houston, integrates Greek housing with the rest of the student population. The design accommodates all student types, while providing for future flexibility.
The community features 15 townhomes for fraternities and sororities, anchored by a 255-bed residence hall. The townhomes have ground floor spaces that allow for activities, ceremonies, and meetings.
PROJECT OF THE YEAR: AFFORDABLE Busting Myths
Project Snapshot-
Project: Casa del Maestro
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
Developer: Thompson Residential Partners LLC
Opening Date: April 2002;
Number of Units: 40
Unit Mix: One and two bedrooms
Average Monthly Rent: $700 to $800 for the one bedrooms
Amenities: Garage, washer and dryer, private patio, and Internet access
Two of the biggest complaints from neighborhood groups about affordable housings are the residents are all criminals, and the buildings are substandard. But hardworking and patient developers, such as Thompson Residential Partners LLC, which developed Casa del Maestro, are dispelling that myth.
Teachers were being priced out of the Santa Clara, Calif., market, and the school district needed to find a way to attract and retain quality teachers. Casa del Maesto, or the Teacher’s House, is one solution. Only teachers qualify to live in this community, where rents are about one-third the market rental rate. This was made possible by no land costs – the property was built on surplus school district land. Plus, tax-exempt financing was used to obtain below market costs of capital, and the property operates like a nonprofit.
The result, a project designed to encourage strong social bonding among residents, in a modern facility with a host of amenities, close to community services and the residents’ jobs.
