New Senior Apartments at Grand and B Streets

Construction of Eden Housing's Hayward Senior Phase II project, located at the intersection of Grand and B Streets, is now complete. The new 22-apartment facility, as seen in the photo above, is fairly faithful to the plan approved by the City Council in May 2011 (below).

Revised development proposal after collaborating with neighbors.

While I'm not a fan of the bright white window frames that contrast rather harshly with the earth tone colors of other materials, I think that overall the project turned out quite well--considerably better than what was originally proposed before neighbors got involved.

I recall receiving a postcard back in early 2011 announcing the proposed project. The card contained a tiny black & white image, not much bigger than a postage stamp. I couldn't make out the details, but it didn't appear to be particularly attractive. Upon requesting and receiving the original pic (below), it was confirmed; I didn't like it, nor did my neighbors.

Original development proposal before neighborhood involvement.

There weren't any neighbor-hood meetings conducted prior to the scheduled project approval. So a petition was circulated requesting that it be rejected. With about 50 households signing the petition and numerous individuals expressing objections and concerns at the Council meeting, consideration was postponed to a later date.

Eden Housing and its architectural firm, Struthers Dias Architects, then worked diligently to respond to the community's concerns. They held two neighborhood meetings and went back to the drawing board after each one. The outcome speaks for itself. The community collaboration clearly resulted in a much improved plan for which all involved can be generally proud.

NOTE: All of the apartments at this new facility have already been leased. Those interested in similar housing opportunities should regularly check the Eden Housing website.