Completion Date:     5/1/2015

Square Footage:      233888

Building Use:           Affordable Housing with Retail & Commercial Uses

Location:                 San Diego, California

Project Description:

Celadon at 9th & Broadway is a new urban residential development that has a distinctive community focus and exemplifies sustainability. The project team delivered this 17-story award-winning high-rise, providing quality, low-cost housing along with 4,500 sq.ft. of retail space, 4,000 sq.ft. of office space, and multiple levels of underground parking for residents and the surrounding community.

Three blocks from a major trolley stop and near various other amenities including grocery stores and a library, Celadon offers incredibly affordable living options. This project offers Creative Studios at $533, Studios from $642-$773, and One-bedrooms from $717-$879—all far below market rents for the area. Celadon's per-unit development cost equates to only $298,681 and delivers below market rents to residents earning income at 30-60% Area Median Income (AMI). Of the 250 apartment units, 25 will be reserved for youth aging out of foster care and adults under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) program, while 63 apartments will serve aging seniors under the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Coupled with access to mental health and social services, the combination of a stable home, medical care, counseling, education, and employment has been proven to benefit not only the participants, but their neighborhoods and communities as a whole.

The project site is constricted by historic buildings and city streets. Due to this limitation, the project team utilized ingenuity and utter creativity in their design: the vertical subdivision that makes up Celadon’s backbone is the first of its kind in the State of California. The regulations for the subdivision were established by the developer in conjunction with the State, in order to bring the project into fruition and make it financially-sound. Moreover, this vertical subdivision features a 143-foot-tall solar photovoltaic system, the tallest electrical solar system of its kind in the Country. The 32.5 kW DC power façade PV solar system generates enough power for the building’s common areas; meanwhile, a solar hot water system above the roof offsets an estimated 50 perfect of the entire building’s hot water needs. Celadon is a model of innovation and sustainable design in an urban setting; it has exceeded the initial goal of LEED Silver Certification and will be LEED Gold Certified. Providing residents with the opportunity to plant their own food in the 5th floor garden, Celadon integrates sustainability into daily life. The project also employs an eco-roof with drought tolerant planting and landscaping throughout.

Celadon presented numerous predevelopment challenges: for instance, the team was met with constant graffiti and tagging of the construction fence and signs. To alleviate this situation, the team partnered with a local artist to paint a cityscape mural on the project fence. The artist encouraged local residents and the homeless to participate; the artwork promoted a sense of communal ownership, ultimately resolving the graffiti concern. Fully listening and responding to the community’s needs, Celadon at 9th & Broadway provides a stable, sustainable, and state-of-the-art mixed-use complex that both residents and guests can enjoy.

C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment

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