Posted on: February 28, 2025
Source: Multi-Housing News; Author: Jeffrey Steele
Built for veterans, the project will provide supportive services and case management.
A scaled drawing of Oak Gardens in California. Image courtesy of MidPen Housing
MidPen Housing has broken ground on Oak Gardens, a new affordable housing community for veterans in Menlo Park, California.
The location is an infill site on the VA Palo Alto Health Care system campus, owned by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The 100 percent supportive housing community will feature 62 apartments, including two managers’ units, that will serve veterans and their families earning up to 30 to 50 percent of Area Median Income.
Even greater affordability will be provided by 35 HUD-VASH project-based vouchers. Households experiencing homelessness will be preferred as residents for 55 of the apartments, while six will be earmarked for chronically homeless households.
Residents of Oak Gardens will have access to amenities including landscaped outdoor space, a multi-purpose community room and a secure bicycle room. MidPen Services plans to provide a wide variety of resident services supportive of economic mobility, education and mental and physical health, as well as case management. Residents will also benefit from direct access to VA services and programs.
Near Oak Gardens, residents will find easily accessed community shopping and markets, recreational and open spaces and public transportation. Downtown San Francisco is approximately 40 miles away.
Van Meter Williams Pollack LLP is architect of Oak Gardens, while Guzman Construction Group is the general contractor. The VA’s Enhanced Use Lease Program made possible the development of Oak Gardens. EUL enables the VA to lease underutilized VA land for the development of supportive housing for veterans.
A mix of public and private sources financed Oak Gardens. They included the City of Menlo Park, County of San Mateo, Housing Trust Silicon Valley, National Equity Fund, Inc., California Department of Housing and Community Development, First Citizens Bank, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.
Oak Gardens marks MidPen’s sixth Menlo Park community.
Four months ago, MidPen Housing completed Fair Haven Commons, the company’s third affordable housing community in Fairfield, Calif. The all-electric community features studio and one- to three-bedroom floorplans ranging between 503 and 1,135 square feet.
Read the full article, here.
More on Oak Gardens:
Visit our project page, click HERE.
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