Redwood City – After years of planning, construction is now under way on a 179-unit affordable housing project known as Middlefield Junction in North Fair Oaks, the unincorporated neighborhood south of Redwood City.
“This project addresses the most critical issue facing San Mateo County by providing quality new homes that are affordable,” said San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum, whose District 4 includes North Fair Oaks. “Here we have a new development that is creating jobs during construction and in the long-term will create affordable homes that are close by many small family-owned shops and restaurants that will also benefit.”
Located at 2700 Middlefield Road on a County-owned vacant parcel behind the County’s Fair Oaks Health Center, the project consists of new apartments from one to three bedrooms, a child care center and community open space.
The site was targeted for housing and neighborhood-serving amenities through an extensive planning process.
All the apartments will be reserved for households earning between 15 percent and 80 percent of the area median income. Twenty apartments will be set aside for people experiencing homelessness and receiving care management and supportive services from San Mateo County Health. Two units are for on-site managers.
Once complete, the Middlefield Junction project will transform a lot that was once home to a recycling facility and help to fulfill a plan years in the making. The project is the result of a partnership among the County, nonprofit developer Mercy Housing California, the state and private investors in a region starved for affordable housing.
“We’ve seen firsthand the inspiring outcomes that families can achieve when affordable housing and high-quality childcare centers are located under the same roof,” said Doug Shoemaker, president of Mercy Housing California.
“Mercy Housing is proud to bring this 179-home community to North Fair Oaks, and we look forward to the day we can welcome hundreds of young people and their families to their new home at Middlefield Junction,” Shoemaker said.
The total cost of $155 million is being funded in part by $78 million from the recently created California Housing Accelerator Fund, managed by the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development. This is the first project in the County to be financed by the Accelerator Fund.
The project is also being financed with $30.5 million in loans from the County and Housing Authority of San Mateo County, nearly $13 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and $6.78 million from the Measure K half-cent sales tax, which provides local funds for local needs.
Additional funding comes from state grants and private investment.
Information on how to apply to live at Middlefield Junction will be posted at a later date on the San Mateo County Housing Portal website.
Michelle Durand
mdurand@smcgov.org