SANTA CLARA, CA—The City of Santa Clara today is celebrating the completion of a new development that will provide affordable housing for seniors.

Camino del Rey Senior Apartments, a ROEM Corporation development, offers 48 one-bedroom apartments that are affordable to seniors with annual incomes at or below 60% of the Santa Clara County Area Median Income. ROEM says Camino del Rey provides a sustainable and affordable community for its residents while enhancing the El Camino Real Corridor. This community is 100% occupied.

“Providing affordable housing for our community is a very important City Council priority, and we are happy to see this high quality project completed,” said Santa Clara mayor Jamie Matthews. “This project is an excellent example of what the private and public sectors can accomplish by working together to meet affordable housing needs. The city's Housing Authority is proud to partner with ROEM and others to create these new senior apartments–housing that will be safe, affordable, have easy access to public transportation and shopping, and meet senior needs.”

The $15 million development consists of a three-story “C” shaped building, wrapped around a landscaped courtyard, which is also an outdoor extension of the community room. The building's architectural character pays homage to the mission-style Santa Clara and the El Camino Real Corridor are known for. Contrasting materials and details with subtle punches of accent color can be found throughout the property. Amenities include a community room with kitchen, a computer room, a fitness center, a laundry facility, a courtyard area with barbecue, community gardens, benches, lighting and landscaping, a gate, and fencing.

“At ROEM, we are passionate about our quality of work, the positive impact of our projects on the communities we serve, and the success of our team members and partners,” said Jonathan Emami, vice president of ROEM Corporation. “It is through successful public-private partnerships, such as the one we share with the City of Santa Clara, that allow for the development of affordable communities for low income seniors, as exemplified in Camino del Rey Senior Apartments. Camino del Rey embodies the commitment of ROEM Corporation to building sustainable housing in which anyone, at any income level, would want to live.”

A primary goal of the landscape design is to create a sense of privacy through visual landscape screening by providing considerable landscape enhancements along the shared property lines and El Camino Real. The visual landscaping techniques used at Camino del Rey provide a continuous canopy of shade along the street and contribute to the inviting curbside appeal. Landscaped areas also incorporate layers of planting, including evergreen foundation planting, perennial foreground beds, and trees to enhance the building elevations.

“AEGON USA Realty Advisors is excited to be part of the development of Camino Del Rey Senior Apartments in Santa Clara, CA. This marks our 7th investment with our valued partner, ROEM Development Corporation,” said Gary Howe, director at AEGON USA Realty Advisors, LLC. “ROEM continues to build high quality affordable housing in an area where there is an acute shortage of such options. Along with filling a need for area seniors, Camino Del Rey will play an important role in adding new vitality to El Camino Real.”

 The residential courtyard is comprised of a variety of multi-use spaces for the enjoyment of the residents, including a dining terrace with outdoor barbecue, community gardens, seating areas, fire pit, and picnic facilities. These spaces are well integrated into a generous garden setting, with significant tree, shrub, vines and flowering perennial plantings, providing shade and an attractive buffer to neighboring residences. Decorative planters are placed near the residents' patios and bedrooms to provide color and privacy, creating an intimate scale to the garden.

“We are very pleased with the completed project,” said KTGY principal Keith Labus. “The quality of the construction looks and feels like a market rate community and the private courtyard is a hidden gem for the residents in this location.”

Designed by award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., Camino del Rey Senior Apartments is an environmentally-sensitive development. Currently, the developers are pursuing a U.S. Green Building Council LEED-H Platinum certification for the project. The community was designed to specifically reduce the amount of space dedicated to parking while still meeting the minimum requirements of 0.7 spaces/unit. This ultimately makes Camino del Rey more environmentally-friendly by reducing the amount of paved surface area needed, creates more open space. Residents are incentivized to use other means of transportation to reach nearby retail stores and businesses, such as the SaveMart and Palo Alto Medical Foundation situated across the street from the development.

“Camino del Rey is yet another testimonial to the proven commitment that ROEM Corporation has in developing quality affordable housing,” said Mark Wiese, president of Pacific Housing, Inc. “As with all our ROEM partnerships, we are proud to be a partner in Camino del Rey.”

Camino del Rey Senior Apartments is financed with 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and tax-exempt bond financing made possible by Freddie Mac Credit Enhancement Program. ROEM and Pacific Housing, Inc. have partnered with the Citi Community Capital, AEGON USA Realty Advisors, LLC, and the City of Santa Clara for financial support on this project. The City of Santa Clara invested $7,000,000 in this development. The architect is KTGY Group Inc. and the general contractor ROEM Builders, Inc.