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David Zylstra of Safeway’s Property Development Centers (PDC) subsidiary had presented revised plans for the RRSC redesign at the RCPC board of directors June meeting, one week earlier. The rede- sign includes two story buildings with roof- top parking, relocation of the Safeway stor...

By Property Develop

These images, selected from a PowerPoint presentation created by Property Develop- ment Centers, Safeway’s Rockridge Center devel- opment arm, show the existing shopping center site (top views) and changes proposed for the center (bottom views). Additional views and m o r e i n fo r m a t i o n are available at the RCPC ...

B ART held an Open House last month at the foot of the Rock- ridge station to gather input and help set objectives for developing a transit-oriented housing project on the site. The BART property consists of two lots — one just across from Market Hall on Shafter Avenue; the second is located along Miles Avenue (the rest of the site is owned by Cal- trans and can’t be develo...

By Jessica Pitt

...nt the Broadway commercial corridor between 42nd and 51st Streets. Altogether, the expanded area would cover 880 acres of North Oakland. hese days, as cities face growing budget shortfalls, one of the few sources of financing available for development projects — from street improvements to new parks to revitalizing neighborhood commercial corridors — comes from “redevelopment districts.” Most of the controversy revolves around three hot button issues. The first has to do with the financing of...

By Thomas Lollini

Fast-Food Development Proposed for The Ridge Site by Thomas Lollini, FAIA, RCPC Land Use Committee Chair, and Ryan Phillips Aconceptual proposal to develop a Chick-fil-A fast-food, drive- through restaurant on the south side of Broadway near Coronado is being circulat...

He said each of the proposals made by local developers Wallace-Olson (Orinda Theatre project developer), Sprincin-Smith, Inwood, and Wilson Associates (developers of the Rockridge Market Hall) calls for office/retail development on the corner of College and Miles, zoned C-31/R-70. Three proposals wou...

Proposed Development residences and set a precedent for developers to build more six- story or higher buildings along Telegraph and Shattuck Avenues. The residential zoning that applies to the property dates from 1965 (R35, R40), while the C-28 commercial zoning is ...

Oakland’s land use review process. An example of the value of this approach has been the project at 6230 Claremont. In summer 2025, Ellis Partners and Spirit Living Group, the developers of the senior housing project proposed for the former Red Cross site at 6230 Claremont, met with the RCPC board to explain their project. RCPC then established a consultation committee consisting of RCPC board members, neighborhood residents with...

Ina draft statement developed from discussions with RCPC, CAMA, local residents, adjoining property owners and City officials, The Bay Area Partnership — the consultant hired by the City to help guide the project — suggests preliminary guidelines and minimum requirements for d...

By Stuart Flashman

Developer Shares Redevelopment Plans for College of the Arts Oakland Property:

By RCPC Board Chair Leonora Sea

The redevelopment team met with a broad array of community organizations in 2017 to define its goals for redeveloping this iconic property. The list was long and included addressing the city’s need for housing, opening the site to the public, supporting and promo...

Nor is this idle speculation. Dreyer’s insistence on encroaching onto residential property lies at the heart of its plans. To do so to meet parking needs does not suggest a higher and economically lucrative use. Rather, it suggests that the transformation in uses that would be involved is intended to pave the way for future office and co...

The Redevelopment Fund is created from property tax reve- nues collected in the Central District. Two-thirds of the Redevel- opment Fund comes from Central District property tax revenues that would ordinarily be retained by the State of California and the County ...

Continued development on College Avenue won't be a problem if it meets zoning requirements. There is not a lot of room for new growth in terms of unimproved property. Certain development would be unacceptable. I’m thinking of fast food chains and other mass marketing...

As with any new development project on College Avenue, the proposed Art Stone property project will have to go through the full range of zoning applications, stalf reviews, and public hearings. A preliminary Environmental Report prepared by the City - ER 86-87 — is availab...

developers to re-develop or add to their properties by exchanging up-front profits for long-term payments? neer/developer teams could assess under-developed property along College Avenue. Promising properties could then be shopped to developers. But instead...

However, the property’s owner, a family California College of the Arts Campus Redevelopment Proposal (5200/5276 Broadway, between College Avenue and Broadway Terrace) new Safeway, a single-story commercial “strip mall” section and a new Chase Bank building, was complete...

If you are a property owner with available rental space, please join our efforts to resolve this crisis. Contact Home Management Specialist Pamela Hall 1n the City’s Housing & Community Development Department: 510/238-3125, or phall@oaklandnet.com, if you have rental un...

open for nine months, but serious issues linger. Most importantly, the electronic parking has been underway for several months. Terramar, the new developer of the shopping center, is finally meeting with community representatives to introduce its local management team and discuss their plans for the project purchased from Safeway’s Property Development Centers division when Safeway was taken private ...

Developer Courts Upper Chabot Road Tennis Property: Neighbors Rally

Considers the aesthetics of new development projects on Col- lege Avenue as well as exterior changes (including signs) to ex- isting projects. Most recently, the committee reviewed three new Tetail spaces to be built by Wilson Associates on the College Avenue “‘cement boat” property near ...

Mr. Wincorn, originally from Dallas, Texas, has lived in Oakland for 15 years. Working first as a property manager, he began buying, fixing up and selling apartment properties, then built a small restaurant and office building in Oakland. He owned his own construction business for 5 years before moving into development. He lives in Oakland.

Oakland currently mails notification to property owners and residents immediately adjacent to the site of a proposed development project. Recommended guidelines of the State of California and guidelines of most other local jurisdictions across the State use a standard of a 300 foot radius. An art...

Acquisition and development of the Art Stone property for

By Michael Kan

...afeway News: See the Land Use Committee report, page 4. RCPC Town Hall Meeting AGENDA July 2010 Note Date Change July 22, 2010, 7:30 p.m. Rockridge Branch Library 5366 College at Manila Community Room (Upstairs) ■ ■Rockridge Center Safeway Development Proposal Last year, Safeway unveiled plans for a 110,000 square foot revamp and expan- sion of the Rockridge Shopping Center… and the silence was deafening. Even the pro-development Oakland Planning Com- mission panned the project. Now Safeway h...

...t, 238-3809, or e-mail her at bivey@oaklandnet.com. The registration deadline is July 26. For further information, visit the Web site of the national organization at: http://www.nationalnightout.org/nno/about.html Rockridge Center Safeway Development Proposal Last year, Safeway unveiled plans for a 110,000 square foot revamp and expan- sion of the Rockridge Shopping Center… and the silence was deafening. Even the pro-development Oakland Planning Com- mission panned the project. Now Safeway h...

By Steven Wolmark

from taking private property and giving it to private developers. Ensures owners are fully compensated when their property is taken for government use. ARGUMENTS AGAINST: Will lead to increased costs for California taxpayers. Enables large landowners and corporations to demand...

...lege Avenue shopping center, testimony at this hearing was almost all favorable. The dissenting voice was ULTRA (Urbanists for a Livable Temescal-Rockridge Area), a primarily Temescal-based community group favoring high-density residential development. It objected to the lack of a residential component to the project, its automobile orientation, and a drive-through window for the new Chase Bank. David Zylstra, COO of Safeway’s property development

PayPal from the College Avenue Safeway Project page at the rockridge.org Web site. ■ ■Rockridge Shopping Center (Corner of Broadway and Pleasant Valley) The RCPC board also heard a presen- tation from David Zystra of Safeway’s Property Development Centers division, who reported that the newest revised plans for redeveloping the Rockridge Shopping Center involve a slightly bigger expansion (130,000 sq. ft. versus 110,000 sq. ft in the previous proposal). They also include actual i...

Ep. Note: Controversy has developed around the recent activities of property developers who add multiple bedrooms to existing homes in the Rockridge Area to generate increased rental income. A large part of the July RCPC General Meeting was devoted to wide-ranging discussion of diff...

...y. “The idea of addi- tional housing on College Avenue, particularly above the many one-story buildings, makes a lot of sense — two stories, three stories, four stories — and the Housing Element of the General Plan calls for that. The BART property development makes no sense

that will be filled by appointment within the next few months. No specific experience is required, but an accounting or bookkeeping background in particular, and knowledge of and experience with land use planning or property development, non-profit management, event planning, and local government operations are a plus. If you are at least 18 years of age, live within the RCPC boundaries (http://www. rockridge.org/boundaries), and want to serve your community, submit yo...

...lege and Claremont Avenues) As reported in last month’s Land Use Committee Update, the Draft Envi- ronmental Impacts Reports (DEIRs) for these two large and important projects have again been delayed. David Zylstra, Chief Operating Officer Property Development Centers 5918 Stoneridge Mall Road Pleasanton, CA 94588-3229 Concerning the College Avenue Safeway store project, it looks like Peterson Vollman, (pvollman@oaklandnet.com, 238-6167), the planner handling the project, hasn’t met his goal ...

...ents, it felt the removal of a street-level retail storefront space on College Avenue, and the precedent that would be set, necessitated RCPC’s opposition. The applicant was encouraged to look at other less prominent locations in the area. Property Development Center CEO David

...derations, and sent it back for formal design review. 5666 Telegraph residential ■ ■ 5148 Broadway Proposal: Replace 5 existing Bank of America business signs with new signs. Contact/ Matt Sieck, Sign Productions Phone: 319/364-6697 Owner: Property Development Associates Permits Required: Design Review to replace approximately 170 square feet of total sign area at a shopping center. Variance to allow the total signage to exceed the total permitted aggregate sign area of 200 square feet. Plann...

and greenhouse gas emissions. A Possible Scenario for Future Development As an example of future developments, parking requirements for a new 20-unit development on College Avenue could be reduced from the required 20 spaces to 10 spaces if the developers offered: kept pace. Global warming, transit-oriented developme...

...kridge Branch Library 2nd floor meeting room. The agenda will include updates on the housing study. Please check on https:// rockridge.org the previous week to confirm meeting’s date, time, and place. Three examples have been discussed: 1) development/redevelopment of a single standard-sized Lower Rockridge residential lot (4,000 sq.ft., zoning = RM 1); 2) devel- opment on four aggregated single-family lots (total size ~ 16,000 sq.ft.) into a single multi-family building; 3) development of a ...

...ed urban business districts,” according to its website, www.newcityamerica.com. New City America acts as consultant to many BID and CBD groups. An alliance of West Berkeley residents and small business people recently protested a proposal, developed by Li Mandri’s firm, to form a West Berkeley CBD headed by developers and large prop- erty owners including Bayer. The proposed West Berkeley CBD would allocate $60,000 to lobby on land use issues like zoning. West Berkeley residents expect heavy ...

he Pruitt family, long-time owners of the Kingfish Pub on Claremont Avenue, have decided to pursue other opportunities and are selling the Kingfish, adjacent residences and a billboard, all part of the property, to developers. The Pruitts hope the Kingfish can be incorporated into a new development. They chose local developers Ron Kriss and Roy Alper to buy the property because of their interest in having the Kingfish live on.

Third, design and land use changes to the Highway 24/Rockridge BART station property are likely within the next five to ten years. Recently, several developers have submitted proposals for residential and commercial development of BART property at the Rockridge station. Also, there have been informal discussions regarding the possi...

opportunity? Perhaps the developers could choose to invest in acquiring and transform- ing the triangle (currently privately owned by others) to meet open-space requirements and create a valuable neighborhood (and marketing) asset. The developer has agreed to consider this and saw ...

By Mark Aaronson

...e. The former 1.06 acre site is still owned by the Red Cross and is deteriorating. In early 2024, the Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC) board learned that the Red Cross was in the process of reviewing bids for the site’s sale and development. Among bidders were nonprof- it affordable housing development organizations. In April 2024, the RCPC board sent a letter to both City officials and private parties, “[RCPC] strongly supports the sale of the 6230 Claremont Avenue property for a ...

By Mark Aaronson

...adway near 51st Street — which is such a facility — is not fully occupied. This led to a brief discussion about the projected occu- pancy levels of senior care facilities and their impact on the planning and financing of such projects. The developers have filed an SB 330 preliminary application with the City of Oakland, which freezes current land use requirements. They expect to file a fully complete application early this fall. It will go through the usual land use process, likely with only ...

By Mark Aaronson

Trees, JCCEB, and RCPC by Mark Aaronson, RCPC Board Member T Letter to the Editor Tree Removal at JCCEB Development Site he Jewish Community Center East Bay’s (JCCEB) application to the Oakland Planning Commission for renovations to its Rockridge site, bounded by Claremont, College, and Chabot, included an application for tree removal, almost entirely from th...

By Ken Rich

State of California Gets More Involved in New Housing Approvals by Ken Rich, RCPC Land Use Chair T These standards are permitted under the new State regulations as long as they don’t serve to chill the development of new housing. Based on an Oakland zoning code amendment proposed by Councilmember Kalb, the developers of projects to be approved ministerially will be required to give notice to residents and property owners within 300 feet, even though there...

will undoubtedly not impact the transfer or sale of the CCA property. A Better Solution to High-Rise Living It is not right for CCA to sell itself to the highest bidder so it can build af­ fordable housing for its students in San Francisco. CCA has an unpaid historic moral and ethical debt to Oakland. The developmen...

By Stuart Flashman

The city mailed a courtesy letter to all 481 identified eligible property owners on March 12, 2013, advising them of the petition process. The petition was subsequently posted on the Fourth Bore Coalition (FBC)website. In the intervening year, soundwall studies advocates wrote their own letters to property owners eligibl...

rating classifies Rockridge as a “maintain and enhance” zone; there are planning ordinances in place to assure that this happens. The development plan, if adopted as proposed by Safeway, will certainly reclassify Rockridge zoning status to “change and develop,” far beyond what is appropriate for our community. Wishing you and yours a warm and happy holiday season. Do support everything th...

...-foot-wide alley – would be impassable to most emer- gency vehicles. Monica C. Di Perna 510-225-5635 monicaloan@aol.com  15 years in the mortgage industry; I am a Rockridge resident “In brief, the zoning standards do not confer a right to develop property to the maximum building envelope. The blind adherence to the allowable limits of zoning standards, coupled with permissive variances, results in an overly massive development that is inappropriate to the existing neighborhood context and ad...

By Steven Wolmark

based on “the use to which the government intends to put the property.” The likely result would be to significantly increase the cost to taxpayers for cities to provide basic services. The most far-reaching provision of Proposi- tion 90, however, would require governments to compensate owners if any new legislation o...

envelope of their property.” While efforts should be made to respect New Mix dents, business owners, and developers to answer frequently-asked questions about new development projects. Come share your questions and concerns so they can be incorporated into the guide; let us ...

In the next six months, the committee is recommending acom- munity design process to develop specific plans for the building and parking lot. The committee has had many discussions about site design with Neighbors and local residents. Adjacent resi- dents and business owners are adamant that any development not adversely affect their proper...

...October 7 with Vice-Mayor Marge Gibson, Mr. Soderling, Parking Administrator James Rice, and Steve Costa of the Bay Area Partnership, the CAMA and RCPC Parking Committees agreed the City should continue its attempts to obtain the Art Stone property with the understanding that development of the property would be preceded by a determination of the project feasibility and appropriate mix of uses for the site. CAMA and RCPC will work with the City to develop a Request for Proposal for the mixed-...

with retail, a parking garage, and street- front units within its base. A commercial-only development on this site would run counter to the current zoning designations (S-13 and S-14), which require that the Ridge site be used primarily for housing; and to the City’s agreements with the State regarding planning requirements for housing. Te Chick...

This project rendering shows a contemporary podium-style complex with façade articulation punctuated by inset private balconies. The roughly one-acre property is located next to Oakland Tech. them online and sign up for updates. Objective Design Standards for 4-to-8-story Multi-Family Residen- tial and Mixed-Use Development were unanimously approved by the Planning Commission last October. Objective Desi...

mental impact, it’s about protecting property values and preserving privilege. This notion of “quality of life” prioritizes the comfort of a few over the basic needs of many. Hous- ing scarcity isn’t accidental, it’s been engineered through decisions like these, and it’s way past time to rejec...

College Avenue. We support more housing density in Rockridge but feel strongly that the designs need to fit the style of our existing neighbor- hood. We have been happy with the recent five-story developments around the intersection of Pleasant Valley and Broadway. Those two buildings merge nicely with the surrounding develop- ment and have increased the housing stock in the area. This proposed 15-story building, rather than integrating smoothly int...

As previously noted in The Rockridge News (see article “What Is Land Cost? Why Should I Care,” by Stu Flashman, June 2021) conventional development practices cannot provide such housing. Therefore, we need unconventional approaches to reduce costs and risks. What might some of these be? Devel- opment costs are made up of hard costs (actual labor and materials needed to build the building), ...

the land cost would be even higher at $15 million per acre. The price per acre of commercial property here is generally every bit as high as for residential property. The only Rockridge lot that looks at all feasible for affordable housing development would be the Davita Dialysis Center on Claremont Avenue where the large amount of parking space br...

tower apparently tries to sweeten the deal with promises of historic preser­ vation and “green space.” Dear Editor, The three January 2020 letters to the editor regarding the planned development of the California Col­ lege of the Arts (CCA) property were well-written and thought-provoking, but all failed to the address the two questions that concern me most: The fiscal obligations of historic nonprof­ it educational institutions; and th...

new neighbors. I look forward to say­ ing hello, and I hope you do too. — Logan Williams Instead, we are throwing up road­ blocks and grinding development once again to a standstill. Robert Brokl and Alfred Crofts wrote an opinion piece in last month’s Rock­ ridge News that, in addition to UBA’s efforts, highlights a surprisingly naked NIMBY sentiment and set of ideas (The Presidio, a federally ow...

...t a tower in the middle of a one- and two-story residential district is thought­ ful urban planning… There is no area- specific plan for North Oakland. It is time to do one. It’s not in Oakland's best interest to react to the wishes of one developer and one property owner. Oakland must guide its own future.” “I learned from my parents the importance of commu­ nity service/involvement and found Rockridge an easy place to get involved. The seeming absence of planning in Oak­ land has been a cra...

...victim is involved. Examples include assault (including sexual), battery, rob­ bery (with or without a firearm), threats with the intent to terrorize, grand theft from the person, and domestic violence. The classification system we use was developed some years ago by a former NCPC chairman Frank Castro, and includes five categories: Crimes Against the Person; Property Crimes; Property Crimes–Auto; Quality of Life; and Other. All of the crime reports can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y28rmr8...

...n the site, including affordable artist housing. 2. Preserving the historic buildings and In answer to questions from the audience, he noted the City, and many in the community, have long supported including housing in the project, but the property’s owner (not TRC but an absentee corporate owner with an out- of-state mailbox address) has consistently refused to consider any residential use on the site. Ranelletti explained that plans for redevelopment and expansion of the site, formerly call...

Pasquali noted that while Rockridge’s current zoning along College Avenue had produced a successful commercial district, its height and density limitations gave property owners and developers little incentive to provide more housing by building beyond the current building envelope. He noted that there are a few large parcels that might become available for redevelopment, but, without an increase in height and densi...

...ed by the city. The neighboring vacant lot, Once occupied by the Longo Art Stone and Pottery Works, a manufacturer of ornamental concrete fixtures such as bird baths, statues and fountains, also came on the market. In Its effort to buy the property, the city was at first outbid by a developer, but ultimately succeeded In acquiring the property through eminent domain. (Many houses in the neighborhood still have concrete ornaments in their backyards from Longo Art Stone.)

...ions with business owners who depend upon that connection to present their services and products. Can ground level retail really be successful with this age group? On the other hand, can anyone doubt the success of Cole Hardware? Long time property owner John Chalik with enduring tenants such as VerBrugge, Yasai, and La Farine – all on College Avenue for the past 25 years – cuationed not to take success for granted. Residents must remain engaged and vigilant, he said, or city forces could all...

By Gorden Piper

Garden. He recently helped lead sheet mulching and annual rose pruning efforts around hundreds of roses planted along the Broadway frontage. The OLC adopted the Caltrans property in 2006 when it was the site of a homeless encampment and full of weeds. OLC has regularly recruited volunteers to develop the site as a public garden serving area residents and providing pollinator habitat. Our goal for 2015 is to recruit addition...

this permit ended the week of February 16. Meanwhile, the property owner has put the tree permit on hold for a year. Although the permit is on hold, the owner is proceeding with soil testing – a necessary step toward developing the property. For the present, the redwoods will stay. — From information provided by O...

...ers Market.” There are only 9 homes actively for sale right now at the height of the Spring market. Same for rentals - call or email me for more information! 510-612-2547 or RonKriss@JPS.net SPECIALIZING IN  OResidential Sales  OIncome Property  OCommercial  OProperty Management FOR SALE IN ROCKRIDGE 5429 Belgrave Place $1,175,000 4+BD/2+BA Almost untouched since build. Part of a very upscale development of 7 mini mansions. Grand rooms, amazing detailing, maids stairway - you get the ...

...rket.” There are only 8 homes actively for sale right now at the beginning of the Spring market. Same for rentals - call or email me for more information! 510-612-2547 or RonKriss@JPS.net 32 SPECIALIZING IN  OResidential Sales  OIncome Property  OCommercial  OProperty Management COMING SOON - APRIL Belgrave Place *not priced yet 4+BD/2+BA Almost untouched since build. Part of a very upscale development of 7 mini mansions. Grand rooms, amazing detailing, maids stairway - you get the pi...

...rket.” There are only 6 homes actively for sale right now at the beginning of the Spring market. Same for rentals - call or email me for more information! 510-612-2547 or RonKriss@JPS.net 32 SPECIALIZING IN  OResidential Sales  OIncome Property  OCommercial  OProperty Management COMING SOON Belgrave Place *not priced yet 4+BD/2+BA Almost untouched since build. Part of a very upscale development of 7 mini mansions. Grand rooms, amazing detailing, maids stairway - you get the picture. C...

Planning Permits Required: Regular Design Review for additions to an existing dwelling; Minor Variance to locate the addition: (a) 2'-6" from the corner side property line (Taft Ave. side), whereas a 5' minimum setback is required, and (b) 13'-4" from the front property line (Mendocino Ave. frontage) whereas 20' minimum setback is required. (Note: The Minor Variance would, in effect, allow the addition to be con...

board with allies and others helpful to the large property/business owner interests. For example, rather than recruiting independent, ground-level, store-front retail, business-owner merchants, those who define College Avenue and its success and those whom the RDA exists to assist and promote, the four pro...

By Stuart Flashman

...Pleasant Valley Avenue, is the biggest shopping center in North Oakland, serving not only Rockridge but also Tem- escal, Broadway Terrace, Piedmont Avenue areas, and Safeway wants to demolish and replace the Safeway and Long’s stores and redevelop and add other buildings. D. Kinkead RCPC Town Hall Meeting AGENDA July 2009 beyond. While Safeway isn’t the owner of the property, it has been allowed to control its development. Thursday, July 16, 7:30 p.m.

...so Tem- escal, Broadway Terrace, Piedmont Avenue areas, and each month. Call Susan Montauk RCPC Town Hall Meeting AGENDA July 2009 at 547-3855 or e-mail her at smon- Safeway wants to demolish and replace the Safeway and Long’s stores and redevelop and add other buildings. D. KinKeaD beyond. While Safeway isn’t the owner of the property, it has been allowed to control its development. Thursday, July 16, 7:30 p.m. Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College at Manila, Community Room (Upstairs) tauk@...

...d veterinary building and a cottage for a 5-story condo project that would have loomed over the neighboring apartment court and Clar’s Auction Gallery. Instead, he’s rehabbing and renting the existing buildings. 780 54th at MLK Jr. Way ■ ■ Developers Cotter & Coyle proposed to demolish the former Mutual Store/church to build a 5-story condo project shadowing the venerable Ace Ellis Hardware. Now, they’ve refurbished the existing building as part of a lease/option deal with another church. Hol...

By Gordon Piper

by Gordon Piper, chair, North Hills Landscape Committee Roses and lavenders are among the many new Rockridge residents to be found in the new two-acre public garden being developed on Caltrans property at the corner of Keith Avenue and Broadway. Named the Broadway Garden, the proj- ect involves a creative partnership between Caltrans and the North Hills Landscape Committee, which adopted the property adjacent to Highway 24 s...

By Susan Parker

...y’s onto Coronado. Armentrout said the complexity and cost of cleaning up the benzene and other contaminants left when the station closed and that may also have leaked from under­ ground fuel tanks until their removal in 1999 have deterred developers since the 1970s. However, Oakland real estate values now make clean-up and redevelopment of the property affordable, she said. Concerned CHO neighbors to the west of Shattuck Avenue, between 52nd and 55th streets, calling themselves Livable Oakla...

By Gloria Bruce

...assa, Ellen Peterson, Peter St. John, Jeff Small, Richard W. Smith, Danica Truchlikova, Margaret Wahlberg Contact the Board: rcpcchair@rockridge.org Multiple studies have shown that affordable housing has no negative impacts on surrounding property values. What’s more, occupants tend to own fewer cars and thus have less impact on traffic than those in high- end developments. Like any residential development, affordable housing can be a neighborhood asset if it is well-designed