Currents

An Energy Newsletter for Local Governments

San Francisco Celebrates Grand Opening of Affordable, Green Apartments

Mayor Gavin Newsom joined Public Initiatives Development Corporation and Enterprise at the grand opening celebration for Plaza Apartments, the first San Francisco affordable housing built to the standards of the Green Communities™ Criteria.

The nine-story Plaza Apartments, designed by Leddy Maytum Stacy and Paulett Taggart Architects, is now home to 106 very low-income individuals, many of whom were formerly homeless. The ground floor houses a reception area, offices, kitchen with pantry, community room, courtyard and retail space. Residents at the Plaza Apartments include former Plaza Hotel tenants (the building which originally occupied the site), as well as clients of the city’s Direct Access to Housing (“DAH”) program. This program provides a rent subsidy to supplement the tenant’s rent payment, as well as on-site support services. This program is part of Mayor Newsom’s “10 Year Plan to End Homelessness” and is implemented by the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Enterprise provided support to Plaza Apartment’s developer, Public Initiatives Development Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, through its Green Communities™ initiative. Green Communities was launched more than a year ago by Enterprise and the Natural Resources Defense Council to build more than 8,500 affordable homes that deliver significant health, economic and environmental benefits for low-income families and communities.

"Six months ago I stood on the roof of Plaza Apartments as it was being transformed into healthy, affordable housing for 106 formerly homeless individuals and announced my commitment to applying environmentally sustainable development principles to all new affordable housing developments in San Francisco," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Today I'm here to celebrate the successful completion of this development and to celebrate the work of the Public Initiatives Development Corporation, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, Enterprise, and Global Green to green affordable housing. They have demonstrated tremendous leadership and commitment in helping the City meet its goal of creating 5,000 units of housing for the formerly homeless of San Francisco."

“The entire development team has taken this project to heart knowing that the Plaza Apartments will mean so much for green affordable housing, for supportive housing, for the revitalization of Sixth Street and as homes for our tenants. It has been our privilege to have contributed to the city’s efforts to end chronic homelessness,” said Olson Lee, executive director of the Public Initiatives Development Corporation.

“Plaza Apartments is a great example of the type of housing development Green Communities was designed to support – healthy, energy-efficient apartments for people in need,” said Rich Gross, a director of syndication for Enterprise Community Investment. “San Francisco is setting an example for affordable housing developers nationwide who think housing can’t be built to be affordable and green.”

Conard House provides services to Plaza Apartments’ tenants, including case management, mental health services, income advocacy, money management and vocational services. Conard House, founded in 1959, will also coordinate life and skill-enhancing services for the residents through outside collaborative service providers.

Enterprise provided over $11 million in tax credit equity to help support the development of Plaza Apartments with its “green” features, including energy efficient appliances, light fixtures and photovoltaic (solar) energy system. The energy and resource efficient building systems also include the use of recycled and recyclable materials such as steel framing, insulation, ultra low-flow plumbing fixtures, carpeting and tile flooring. Each apartment has a full bathroom, kitchenette with a sink, full-size refrigerator, two-burner stove and microwave. Apartments also come furnished with a bed, nightstand and dresser.

In August 2005, Mayor Newsom joined Enterprise and Global Green at the construction site for Plaza Apartments to announce that San Francisco would be the first city in the country to adopt green building standards for all of its affordable housing developments. Grants totaling $300,000 have been awarded by Enterprise to five local nonprofit housing developers to create 600 healthy, sustainable homes for low-income and homeless families, seniors and individuals.

The San Francisco Green Communities is a partnership of Enterprise, the Mayor's Office of Housing, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and Global Green. The San Francisco Green Communities housing under development includes:

• 275 10th Street is being developed by Episcopal Community Services and Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center as 140 new apartments for single adults.
• 650 Eddy Street is being developed by the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation and Community Housing Partnership as 72 new apartments for families.
• The Essex Hotel is being developed by Mercy Housing and Community Housing Partnership as 84 supportive housing apartments for chronically homeless individuals and families.
• 5600 Third Street is being developed by Bridge Housing as new housing for 112 senior households.
• 10th and Mission is being developed by Mercy Housing as new housing for 136 families. Twenty percent of the apartments will be set-aside for formerly chronically homeless families.

Like Plaza Apartments, the San Francisco Green Communities developments are being built to the Green Communities Criteria, which represent the collective knowledge and consensus of leading experts in building design and construction, public health, smart growth and environmental protection. The criteria reflect careful analysis of all major green building programs and distill many of the most relevant and achievable aspects of green building and smart growth for affordable housing. The Green Communities Criteria raises the bar for affordable housing providers in sustainable development through proven, cost-effective building strategies, without burdening developers with undue complexity or infeasible costs.

The response to Green Communities has been remarkable nationwide. In the first year alone, 77 developments, including the Plaza Apartments, are underway in 21 states, meaning more than 4,300 green homes for low-income families and $179 million in financial support from Enterprise. This is more than double the production goals set out in Green Communities and 61 percent ahead of investment targets.

The 4,300 homes in the Green Communities development pipeline will reduce costs and consumption compared to conventionally built homes, including:

• $1.5 million in energy savings per year ($350 savings per household).
• More than 5,000 tons in reduced greenhouse gas emissions per year (2,340 fewer pounds per household).
• Thirty million gallons in reduced water use per year (7,000 fewer gallons per household).

Financing for the Plaza Apartments included low-income housing tax credit equity from Fannie Mae through its single-investor fund, Housing Outreach Fund XI (HOF XI). A long-time Enterprise partner, Fannie Mae is a key partner in the Green Communities initiative.

The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA), a state chartered agency, has focused its efforts to eliminate blighted neighborhoods through the development and preservation of affordable housing throughout the city and county of San Francisco. In 2002, SFRA created Public Initiatives Development Corporation (PIDC) as a nonprofit public benefit corporation to develop affordable housing at the direction of SFRA. PIDC was created to specifically develop the site located at 6^th and Howard Streets (Plaza Apartments). SFRA has participated in the development of 7,000 affordable homes during the last eight years.

Enterprise Community Partners is a leading provider of the development capital and expertise it takes to create decent, affordable homes and rebuild communities. For more than two decades, Enterprise has pioneered neighborhood solutions through public-private partnerships with financial institutions, governments, community organizations and others that share our vision. Enterprise has raised and invested $7 billion in equity, grants and loans and is currently investing in communities at a rate of $1 billion a year. Visit www.enterprisecommunity.org to learn more about Enterprise's efforts to build communities and opportunity, and to meet some of the half a million people they have helped.

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