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Midtown Park – ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Finalist
Learn more about 2021 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Finalist, Midtown Park (Houston, TX).
Casa Arabella- 2021 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Winner
May 4, 2021
Photo By Steve Proehl
Casa Arabella in foreground with BART station and original Fruitvale Transit Village in background. Parking lot between Casa Arabella and original village is site of next phase which starts construction in June 2021. To right of project is an existing senior complex also built by The Unity Council.
Photo By David Wakely
Developer built a new emergency vehicle access serving many purposes: public bike and pedestrian access to transit station, ”hidden” loading and trash pickup, and improved access for BART track maintenance.
Location: Oakland, CA, USA
Developers: East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, The Unity Council, City of Oakland, Tableau Development, CTY
Designers: Pyatok Architecture, Branagh Construction, PGAdesign, IDA Structural Engineers, Cordoba Corporation, VST Engineering, Emerald City Engineers, Dilworth Eliot Studio, RGD Acoustics, Langan, Argus, Sunshine Design, Rockridge Geotechnical, Bright Green Strategies, RBA Creative, Davis Energy Group
Site Size: 1.25 Acres
Photo By David Wakely
Central courtyard with lush native, drought-resistant landscaping, including vegetable garden areas, play areas, and ample seating. Community center flows open onto courtyard.
Developed by two Oakland-rooted and grown community developers, Casa Arabella is an affordable 94-unit transit-oriented development adjacent to the Fruitvale BART Station in Oakland. The four-story development is a mix of family units, but also includes 20 units set aside for formerly homeless U.S. military veterans, who are provided with intensive case management services by an experienced, third-party nonprofit organization. To accommodate a variety of family sizes, Casa Arabella includes both flats and townhouse units. The project includes a community room, three spacious courtyards with an all-ages play area, bicycle parking, and community garden.
Photo By David Wakely
Evening view of courtyard shows the variety of planned outdoor spaces and various outdoor “rooms” for residents to enjoy.
The project was designed with street-fronting stoops and porches (complete with birdhouses) along its primary street to enliven the street at the sidewalk level. Located only 30 feet from the BART Station, living at Casa Arabella provides the most convenient transit access to employment in the Bay Area, and residents are further supported by being provided with deeply discounted transit passes from Alameda County Transit, which operates the regional bus network.
Photo By David Wakely
The community lounge is well-appointed with furniture, a full kitchen, and restroom and the lounge hosts planned activities for children and adults.
The transit-rich nature of the site has enabled the developer to reduce parking to a ratio of 0.5:1.00. The project also includes the construction of a new emergency vehicle access lane that also serves as a new bicycle and pedestrian path providing safe and quick access for residents and neighbors to the BART Station turnstiles.