Alta Mira | Hayward, CA

Across Dixon Street from the South Hayward BART station, a larger development was planned to center new housing on transit, within walking distance of parks and schools. Eden Housing set out to complete its first phase with a multi-generation community, combining senior and affordable family housing on one podium.

Bringing two populations together on a single site was the defining challenge. The family development needed 87 one-, two- and three-bedroom affordable homes, while the adjacent senior building required 64 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments. Each building needed its own interior common space, yet both had to share one outdoor podium courtyard. BDE Architecture helped the client resolve this with a Type III over Type I design that situates the interior spaces to create a natural flow between the two properties and into the common outdoor space.

Completed in 2016, Alta Mira delivers 151 affordable homes. Its shared courtyard offers community gardens in raised beds, a tot lot, picnic tables and a combined gathering space where senior and family residents meet, and residents have convenient access to affordable public transportation just steps away.

Address: 28901 Mission Blvd, Hayward, CA, 94544

Client: Eden Housing

Number of Units: 151

Construction Types: IIIA / IA

Year Complete: 2016

Photographer: Vantage Point Photography

Multi-story modern apartment buildings with a mix of colors, including white, beige, gray, and red, along a street with parked cars and trees in front.
A view of a cityscape with various buildings, trees, and distant hills under a partly cloudy sky.
View of an apartment complex courtyard with landscaped garden beds, paved walkways, and multi-story beige buildings under a partly cloudy blue sky.
A modern apartment complex courtyard with colorful buildings, potted plants, trees, and benches along a paved walkway under a clear blue sky.