Japantown Senior Apartments

Founded by First Community Housing (FCH), a developer of 75-unit housing, Japantown Senior Apartments is located in San Jose's Japantown neighbourhood. It was funded by the state of California, Department of Housing and Community Development, and the redevelopment agency of the city of San Jose. Built on a ½-acre site, the $7.5 million building targets seniors with extremely low to low incomes, that is, 30 to 50% of the local median income. Ten of the units are reserved for developmentally disabled people. Residents with special needs can access support services. In order to improve the Japantown neighbourhood, FCH hired OJK Architecture and Planning, an architect firm with numerous awards. The building has one studio and 75 one-bedroom apartments. Over five floors of residence units, the building has a residential lobby and manager’s office. There is also enclosed parking. Each apartment's maximum size is 600 square feet. Every apartment unit comes with a balcony. The common spaces consist of a lounge and community area as well as a laundry area. There is also an area for outdoor exercises, as well as shady areas with raised garden beds. Furthermore, like all FCH buildings, Japantown Senior Apartments contain green building features, such as low-VOC finishes and energy-efficient appliances. These features improve indoor air quality, lower utility bills and generate cash flow for the community. Japantown Senior Apartments is registered for U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Homes Midrise program and is striving to achieve LEED Platinum certification (First Community Housing, 2011).