Mission Street Mixed Use

The Mission Street project redefines urban living by seamlessly integrating architecture, nature, and community. With a profound commitment to sustainability, it sets a new standard for multifamily housing, demonstrating how thoughtful design can harmonize urban living with the natural world.

Modern five-story building on a city street corner with cars and traffic lights.

Location

Santa Cruz, California

Scale

47 Studios
95% Multifamily Housing
5% Retail
Total of 35,688 SF

Status

In Development

Services

Architecture and Development

Expertise

SB330, Density-Bonus, AB2097, Modular Design

Adding Value

Nestled along bustling Mission Street in Santa Cruz, this multi-family housing project challenges the conventional norms of multifamily housing.

By remediating the site, preserving existing retail square footage, and adding four stories of SRO units, this project addresses the critical housing shortage in the area and redefines urban living by connecting residents to the natural beauty of the adjacent creek.

Modern apartment building with murals of butterflies and flowers, adjacent to a small residential house, with people walking and jogging nearby.
Architectural elevation drawing of multi-story building with stairs, featuring wooden and metallic elements. Design detail images on the right show building materials and textures.

Airy and Bright

Spaces within the building open up to the outdoors, providing occupants views and a direct connection to nature. The entrance lobby is secured and protected, but open to the exterior. Primary resident stairs are open-air, situated parallel to the creek with views of the existing mature tree canopy. Exterior corridors accommodate circulation, allow sunlight into the courtyard, and create the potential for cross-ventilation through the units.

Passive design strategies include a visually compelling sawtooth facade along Mission Street, which provides self-shading for the majority of the units. External shading devices are provided elsewhere.

The project is designed to be delivered with volumetric modular construction and takes advantage of design strategies that increase building efficiencies.

Modern building with a large butterfly mural on the side, showing people bicycling on the street nearby. The building has multiple balconies and large windows, with trees and a clear sky in the background.

Community Value

The local clients own the Food Bin and Herb Room, beloved community businesses currently occupying deteriorating buildings on-site. The businesses will continue to operate and thrive in a new ground-level retail space, providing the neighborhood with a space to meet and access to natural foods.

Located within an exceptionally walkable neighborhood, building residents can access pharmacies, shops, medical offices, schools, city parks, and other services within 1/4 mile, minimizing traffic impact.

Santa Cruz has one of the highest bike commuting rates in the nation. The project owners will prioritize residents living a car-free lifestyle who commute via bicycle or public transportation.

Modern multi-story building with balconies and large windows, adjacent to a street with people and cars, surrounded by trees and a clear sky. Includes "Resident Signage" on exterior.
Modern apartment building with balconies and large windows, people walking on the sidewalk, trees, and a clear blue sky.
Architectural floor plans showing a building layout with units, amenities, stairs, and bicycle storage on the right, and a schematic of the surrounding area on the left.

Creekside Sensitivity

The client set the a goal of increasing biodiversity on the site. A biofiltration swale at the ground floor and three roof gardens address this goal, with native plantings encouraging the arrival of birds, butterflies, and insects, while also and mitigating the heat island effect. The rooftop level is a dedicated butterfly habitat with native California poppies, lupine, and mixed yarrow.

Previously the site of a gas station, underground tanks have been removed and site remediation is completed. Invasive bamboo and ivy in the adjacent creek will be removed, and native plant species will be re-introduced on the site to foster biodiversity,

Given site constraints, a design challenge included providing for business parking and bicycle parking while prioritizing a vibrant entrance plaza (where pedestrians can gather, neighbors can purchase coffee from a grab-and-go window, and the market can display seasonal produce).