Located across the street from a light rail station in the City of Rancho Cordova, this project proposed a mixed-use, medium- to high-density transit-oriented community. This was the first proposed transit oriented transformation of a suburban site in the Central Valley.
The commercial program included 37,000 s.f. of office and 10,000 s.f. of retail space configured to begin a transformation to a streetscape with urban character. The residential program included 207 residential units in a three-story geometry with townhouses combined with a 75 unit independent living senior housing facility. The residential units are clustered around large courtyards with play areas and a community center as a link between the residential commercial street areas.
Parking is situated either on the street or structured behind office and retail uses. There are no surface parking lots and joint-use parking (residential and office) will be used to reduce the overall number of parking spaces.
In addition to the transit-oriented character of the project, many ecological building strategies were proposed to be incorporated, including indirect evaporative cooling, daylighting, solar controls, bike storage and parking, storm water detention, and photo voltaic panels on roofs and as vehicle shading devices.
The project received a $1.7 million grant from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments Community Design Program for its creative approach to transit-oriented mixed-use development.
Sustainable / Design Innovations: (Click to expand)
renner
Eduardo: You are right. Forcing a developer to build structured parking in a market that cannot support the rent is not financially wise. In the case of the Cordova City Center, the parking structure was to be financed largely with a grant from the local transportation entity SACOG. This allowed us to design a building that would engage the street with cafe seating right across the street from a light rail station. Office space was planned above retail and parking parking tucked behind. The parking garage was planned for office and retail use only. Having the building mass right up on the street to create an urban center along a suburban strip was a priority of the City and why they strongly supported the design.
I agree that requiring the apartments to pay extra for the space can help with transit use, the challenge is finding the sweet spot of what the market will bear in the particular location.
Edouardo
Forcing a developer to build to parking minimums creates a price floor for the units, making the market inefficient. Deck parking ranges from $20K-$30K a space (fully loaded number hard and soft costs). If developers can not charge rents that meet their yield, the project is infeasible. Eliminating or drastically reducing parking minimums is a critical first step to affordable TOD. Also unbundling the cost of parking – i.e. if you want a space for your apartment, you pay separately for it, is also critical.