Mission Driven – Achieving housing, climate goals through design

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1678989380\/ugppqa83gjqlnz20ougm.jpg","id":"6605009"}],"caption":"ON THE NORTH PARTY WALL FACING DOWNTOWN, JESSICA SABOGAL\u2019S MURAL DEDICATED TO MISSION DISTRICT ARTIST AND ACTIVIST YOLANDA LOPEZ PAYS HOMAGE TO BAY AREA SOLIDARITY MOVEMENTS."}]],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/medasf.org\/","target","_blank"]],["b"],["a",["href","https:\/\/mithun.com\/","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","http:\/\/www.ya-studio.com\/","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/showcases\/6597654-casa-adelante-2060-folsom"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"It\ncosts, on average, $3000 to rent a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco\u0027s Mission\nDistrict, one of the most expensive areas in the United States. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"From\nthe East Bay, entering the Mission District, you will see a mural celebrating\nthe late Yolanda Lopez, an artist, and activist chosen by painter Jessica\nSabogal to represent the neighborhood\u0027s historical activism and culture. The mural is painted on Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom, the first newly constructed affordable housing unit built, in part, by the "],[0,[0],1,"Mission Economic\nDevelopment Agency"],[0,[],0," (MEDA). At\none time, Lopez was a resident in one of MEDA\u0027s buildings. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"For 50 years, MEDA has served low- and moderate-income\nresidents in San Francisco through its non-profit work helping Latino families\nthrive. Affordable housing has been a key MEDA effort for the last nine years. As Mission District rent\nincreases, many lifelong residents are forced to leave the neighborhood where\ntheir families had lived for generations. MEDA, which partnered with Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) and\nthe San Francisco Mayor\u0027s Office of Housing and Community Development to build\n2060 Folsom, reports that between 2000 and 2019, the Latino population of the\nMission District fell by more than 9,000."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThe\nreason we wanted to provide housing is to keep the Mission District culture in\nplace,\u201d said Elaine Yee, MEDA\u2019s deputy director of real estate. \u201cWe have a mission\nand vision of building cradle-to-career opportunities for the families and\nclients we serve. This is how this building was born, with that vision.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"Partnering with architects"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The\nconcept for 2060 Folsom, which opened in 2020 as San Francisco\u2019s first large, fully electric affordable\nhousing development, was more than a decade in the making. In 2011, the San\nFrancisco Board of Supervisors (BOS) purchased a parking lot and some adjacent land\nwith the vision of developing an apartment building and a neighborhood park. "],[0,[2],1,"Mithun"],[0,[],0," with "],[0,[3],1,"Y.A. Studio"],[0,[],0," were hired to design the\nproject, which needed to meet certain environmental standards to qualify for\nthe affordable housing credits and state funding through Greenhouse Grass emission\nreduction."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"MEDA\nand its partners surveyed the community to understand the priorities of future\nresidents. Architects were guided by the desire to optimize health, well-being,\nequity, and sustainability. \u201cWe pride ourselves for being all electric,\u201d said Yee,\nadding how grateful they were to partner with architects and design teams to\nachieve environmental goals and protections, like an elevated ground floor to\nprotect from flooding and a building generator that creates a resiliency hub in\nthe event of natural disaster. Using high-quality, sustainable, and Green Point-rated\nmaterials, the teams delivered "],[0,[4],1,"a 2023\nAIA COTE\u00ae Top Ten Award-winning project."],[0,[],0," Residents moved in during the COVID-19\n pandemic and, by design, have emerged as\na thriving, culturally diverse community. "]]],[1,"p",[]],[10,0],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"Close to home"],[0,[],0," "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"More\nthan 5,000 people applied to a lottery system to be selected for 2060 Folsom\u0027s 126 units.\nRent is based on a resident\u2019s income."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Save\nfor bikes, there is no on-site parking at the building. Residents are provided transit\npasses for three years. Transit stops are within walking distance of 2060 Folsom,\nas are retail and dining options. To reduce the carbon footprint of residents, while\nalso meeting the needs of families, mission-based organizations serve as ground\nfloor tenants offering preschool classrooms and activities for young people\nlike poetry, performance art, and photography. A first-floor community room and\nkitchen are in the lobby, where neighbors and building staff can connect. Steps\nfrom the building and below the towering Lopez mural is Chan Kaajal Park, the back\nyard residents and their Mission District neighbors."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cDuring\nthe summer, the park is filled with kids, and summer camps roll through,\u201d said\nYee. \u201cIt\u2019s just great to see that our residents are able to use an amenity so\nclose to home.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Before\nLopez died in 2021, she was able to see the mural, which now watches over the\nMission District and the next generation of families 2060 Folsom will serve. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cIt\u2019s\nvery vibrant seeing people coming in and out, to see the activity,\u201d said Yee. \u201cThis\nhas been a great example for the work we\u2019ll do moving forward.\u201d"]]]]}