Groundbreaking Celebrated For Affordable Housing at 795 Willow Road, Menlo Park

The City of Menlo Park recently celebrated the groundbreaking of a new affordable housing project for veterans at 795 Willow Road, Menlo Park. The project proposal included the development of a new 100% permanent supportive housing community rising three stories high and offering affordable housing options for veterans.

MidPen Housing is the project developer. Van Meter Williams Pollack LLP is responsible for the designs. Guzman Construction Group is the general contractor.

Oak Gardens Groundbreaking Ceremony via MidPen Housing

The project site spans an area of 2.137 acres and is an infill parcel located on the VA Palo Alto Health Care System campus in Menlo Park. The scope of work included the construction of 62 homes and two manager’s units, available as affordable housing options for veterans and their families with incomes up to 30%-50% of Area Median Income. 35 HUD-VASH project-based vouchers will provide additional affordability. 55 of the homes will be reserved for households experiencing housing challenges, and six of the 55 will be set aside for chronically homeless households.

Onsite amenities include a multi-purpose community room with a kitchen, landscaped outdoor space, a secure bicycle room, and laundry facilities. MidPen Services will offer case management and a broad array of on-site resident services that support education, physical and mental health, and economic mobility, and residents will have direct access to VA services and programs. The site is conveniently located near public transportation, neighborhood-serving retail and markets, and recreational and open spaces.

The project site is owned by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Oak Gardens received funding through public and private sources including the City of Menlo Park, County of San Mateo, Housing Trust Silicon Valley, National Equity Fund, Inc. (NEF), California Department of Housing and Community Development, First Citizens Bank, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.

The housing project also received support via VA’s Enhanced Use Lease Program (EUL) which allows the VA to lease out underutilized VA land for the purpose of developing supportive housing for veterans.

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