San Mateo — After years of moving from one unstable housing situation to the next, Noemi Perdomo dreamed of a place she could call home and neighbors she could connect with.
She found both when she moved into Kiku Crossing, a new affordable housing complex in downtown San Mateo with units set aside for people like her, people who have lived on the margins and face challenges with learning differences. Kiku is the Japanese word for chrysanthemum.
“This is my first experience living completely independently. When I moved in, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But right away I started connecting with people,” Perdomo, pictured, said. “Now this means community, family. I don’t have the correct words to express. I just have to say it’s a special place for me to call home.”
Perdomo was among the featured speakers today at a grand opening celebration held in Kiku Crossing’s courtyard, next to a colorful play structure under a gentle June sun. She joined local officials in cutting the ribbon on one of the largest fully affordable housing projects built in San Mateo County to date.
Kiku Crossing includes 225 furnished apartments spread across seven stories at 480 E. 4th Ave., just east of the Caltrain tracks. The studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments are for individuals and families earning 30 percent to 80 percent of the Area Median Income (about $40,620 to $154,720, depending on household size). Kiku is now home to residents who have experienced homelessness, people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, families with low incomes and eligible public-sector workers.
“One of the things that gets me excited about this project is also something you cannot see. It’s something that’s completely invisible to the eye unless you walk into the offices,” San Mateo County Supervisor Noelia Corzo said at the ceremony. “It’s the services and the care reflected in the staff who work here who unlock opportunities for people who didn’t have them before.... That is what freedom looks like.”
Amenities include a rooftop deck with sweeping views, a children’s learning center, a computer room, artwork throughout and a community room with a kitchen. All units come with full kitchens and appliances.
MidPen Housing provides on-site services for residents, such as after-school programming, financial literacy classes and health and wellness programs.
Civic leaders at today’s ceremony called the new development a vast upgrade from the two surface parking lots that had occupied the site for decades.
Just ask Perdomo.
“There’s a real sense of community,” she said, describing how she helped an older neighbor struggling with boxes.
“I was on my way out but I dropped everything and helped her," Perdomo said. "Seeing how happy she was made me feel it doesn’t matter who you are or what age or what background. Helping others just makes life better.”
About Kiku Crossing
The development includes 66 studio apartments, 41 one-bedroom apartments, 59 two-bedroom apartments and 59 three-bedroom apartments.
Kiku Crossing is the result of a partnership between MidPen Housing, a nonprofit developer, and the City of San Mateo and County of San Mateo. The County’s investment includes more than $5 million from the Measure K half-cent sales tax and project-based vouchers from the Housing Authority of San Mateo County. Those project-based vouchers are attached to specific units, so when a tenant moves out, a new tenant receives the subsidy.