MARTINEZ: The trend to integrating seniors housing into main street is growing.
The development of Berrellesa Palms Apartments at the corner of Berrellesa and Buckley streets in downtown Martinez was originally billed as housing for seniors with moderate- to low-income when it was approved by the city in 2009. However, developer Resources for Community Development (RCD) was unable to obtain federal funding necessary to maintain its moderate- to low-income status, and instead obtained state funding in 2010 designating the project as subsidized housing for the at-risk and infirm.
Berrellesa Palms, designed with the flavor of the Marina District of San Francisco with crown moldings and bay windows, is fully leased to seniors age 62 and older who have chronic health conditions and were at risk of homelessness. The new development provides 48 units that feature universal design elements that can accommodate a variety of physical needs and be adapted as residents “age-in-place”…