Mitchell Park Place reshapes affordable housing

Santa Clara County and its partners opened Mitchell Park Place in Palo Alto on May 8, adding 50 affordable apartments at 525 East Charleston Road near Mitchell Park. The four-story project was developed by Eden Housing on county-owned land and includes office space for AbilityPath, a nonprofit that serves people with disabilities. County officials said half of the homes are set aside for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and city records show the development is one of several affordable housing projects Palo Alto has backed in recent years. ### Why is this project getting attention now? May 8 is the date county officials marked as the grand opening for Mitchell Park Place, after years of planning, approvals and financing. Santa Clara County said the project adds 50 units of affordable housing in northern Santa Clara County and brings new homes to a site a block from Mitchell Park and the Magical Bridge Playground. (news.santaclaracounty.gov) Palo Alto’s housing projects page now lists 525 East Charleston Road as a completed affordable housing development serving residents with intellectual or developmental disabilities with on-site services. The city says it contributed $3 million to the project. ### What exactly was built at 525 East Charleston Road? Eden Housing’s project description says Mitchell Park Place includes 50 rental apartments and a roughly 2,773-square-foot office space to be leased to AbilityPath. (news.santaclaracounty.gov) The housing is aimed at individuals and households earning at or below 60% of area median income, with one manager’s unit and the rest reserved as affordable housing. (paloalto.gov) A March 8, 2022 ministerial approval letter from the City of Palo Alto describes the building as a mixed-use development on a 0.78-acre site with about 2,750 square feet of ground-floor nonprofit office space, 50 affordable rental units and 19 parking spaces. The same approval letter says the project also includes on-site support services, a computer learning center, a community room and laundry services. (cityofpaloalto.org) ### Who are the residents the project is meant to serve? Santa Clara County said 25 of the 50 homes are reserved for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The county’s May 8 announcement breaks out that mix further, saying 16 units are for people with disabilities earning up to 30% of area median income, nine are for people with disabilities earning up to 40% of area median income, and the remaining homes serve households earning between 50% and 60% of area median income. (cityofpaloalto.org) AbilityPath has an office on site and will provide services to residents, according to the county and Eden Housing. County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga said in the county release that the project reflected a partnership among local agencies and nonprofit groups. ### How did the project move through Palo Alto’s approval process? November 18, 2021 is the date on Eden Housing’s planning application to Palo Alto, which sought approvals under California’s Supportive Housing Act, known as AB 2162, and used the state density bonus law and the Housing Crisis Act’s preliminary application process under SB 330. (news.santaclaracounty.gov) Eden Housing told the city the project would combine nonprofit office space with 50 affordable homes on county land ground-leased to the developer. September 27, 2021 is when Palo Alto City Council held a study session on the proposal, according to a city staff report tied to local housing trust fund support. That report said the total project cost was estimated at nearly $45 million and described an anticipated city contribution that later grew to $3 million, according to the city’s current housing projects page. (cityofpaloalto.org) ### Where does Mitchell Park Place fit in Palo Alto’s broader housing push? Palo Alto says it has contributed or pledged nearly $52 million in funding or land value to affordable housing since 2017. On the city’s housing page, Mitchell Park Place appears alongside other affordable projects including Wilton Court, Buena Vista Mobile Home Park preservation, Project Homekey at 1237 San Antonio Road and educator workforce housing at 231 Grant Avenue. (cityofpaloalto.org) The Mitchell Park Place site also shows how the city and county are using public land for below-market housing. City records say the parcel is zoned Public Facilities, and the approval documents describe the land as county-owned and leased for the housing and nonprofit office uses. ### What comes next for residents and the agencies behind it? (paloalto.gov) Mitchell Park Place is now in operations, with Eden Housing listed as property manager and AbilityPath set to provide on-site services. Santa Clara County said the building is already positioned as a mixed-use development serving lower-income households and residents with disabilities near Mitchell Park. (cityofpaloalto.org) Palo Alto’s housing projects page continues to track Mitchell Park Place as part of the city’s affordable housing portfolio, and the city’s housing dashboard is the public place where officials say residents can follow broader progress on housing production and affordability goals. (paloalto.gov) (news.santaclaracounty.gov)