Paseo - Creating places of opportunity, connectedness and openness with integrated affordable housing

The Paseo was submitted forU.S. HUD's Innovation in Affordable Housing & Design Competition.

 See renderings, graphics and additional information of the Paseo here.

Welcome to Paseo, a vibrant and inclusive community in Firebaugh, California.  Paseo reaches beyond the provision of affordable housing to include education, equity, environment and health in its mission as a long-term community hub addressing the region’s acute affordable housing shortage.  Drawing from precedent in Latin American culture, public space brings residents and visitors together, promoting integration among socioeconomic classes and providing opportunities for all.  Paseo embraces the notion that we are better when we come together.  A data-driven approach actualizes Firebaugh’s vision to ensure each aspect is realistic and implementable for a socially, economically  and environmentally resilient future.

PROJECT CONSIDERATIONS

Market research shows substantial short- and long-term demand for additional housing units in Firebaugh, particularly for short-term farmworkers, senior citizens and families. From 2011-2018, the number of housing units decreased despite a 12% population increase.  A 2.6% vacancy rate for rental units in 2018 reflects the tight rental market, driving up housing expenses and contributing to the city’s 27.7% poverty rate.  Furthermore, the Central Valley’s ever-increasing reliance on the agricultural industry results in spikes of short-term housing demand during the harvesting season, leaving vacant space during the year’s remainder.  Paseo responds to Firebaugh’s 88% Hispanic/Latinx population by reflecting and celebrating Latin American culture.

URBAN PLANNING STRATEGY

Paseo maximizes allowable density to satisfy short-term needs. By introducing high-quality public and community spaces and services that fill the needs of the local population, the project will act as a catalyst to spur additional housing development beyond the scope of the site. The assemblage of parcels will be consolidated into one parcel, and  roadways are placed within easements for the benefit of the city, leading to  strategic distribution of density and City funding of the roadway and infrastructure improvements.  The project will utilize density bonuses and three (3) concessions (zoning requirement waivers) as allowed under Firebaugh Municipal Code §30-1.4. Concessions include variances from building height (2-stories/25’), front yard setback (15’) and covered parking requirements.  The design exercises these concessions while respecting the adjacent neighbors through viewshed analysis and architectural elements (i.e. gables and dormers).  This creates the feeling of appropriately-scaled buildings that belong in the neighborhood fabric.  Trees provide soft shade for parking while providing a more open and attractive site.

Roadway improvements are targeted to eliminate dead-ends, improve circulation, and calm traffic while maintaining most existing roadways.  This reduces hard costs and minimizes utility shut-offs, simplifying implementation.  During construction, current residents relocate to the La Joya or Maldonado Plaza sites (during non-harvesting periods) or remain in place until necessary to ensure no one is displaced.

Paseo directly addresses high expenses, vacancy variability and housing scarcity for seniors and families.  Intimate alleyways incorporate Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) as a flexible and diverse means of low cost housing for farmworkers, young adults, and seniors seeking to age in place.  Parking in the alleys can be later converted to additional ADUs to accommodate  demand as needed.

A NEW DESTINATION IN FIREBAUGH

Paseo’s community environment organically fosters connection and accessibility.  A new bus stop and more than a mile of painted bike lanes and trail connections provide safe and car-free options of transportation between the commercial and educational districts to the southeast, Maldonado Park to the north and the canal to the northeast.  As additional off-site housing and an elementary school are developed to the north, Paseo’s location will become Firebaugh’s geographic and social center, assuring access to leisure space, growth opportunities, and everyday needs.  Within the site, a vibrant north-south corridor provides an experience that integrates socioeconomic classes and expands the scope of subsidized housing.  This “paseo” (passageway), as the heart of the community, stimulates pedestrian connectivity that engages people in physical and social activity.  Four distinct nodes serve as venues for a wide array of activities: 

Paseo Quetzal Bus Stop Welcome Center Maker Space Grocery Market Medical Office Social Services Community Pool	A loggia-style welcome center opens to a wide and colorful linear plaza bordered by grocery, commercial and community spaces, and ground-floor “maker space” with apartments above.  The maker space consists of flexible spaces for community members to share their talents while receiving vital support through education, percentage rent lease structures, and funding and resources associated with New Market Tax Credits and the U.S.D.A. Community Facilities Direct Loan  Program.  These adaptable spaces allow for dining with outdoor seating, crafts, classes, and galleries; uses with opposing schedules are able to share space.  Opposite the maker space buildings lie medical offices and social services as well as a cabana-lined community pool enclosed by a colonnade, which offers a spot to cool off and an amenity to safely learn to swim, critical for recreation in the San Joaquin River and canal networks.
Plaza Aguila Civic Space Public Restrooms Ice Cream Shop Events	Plaza Aguila is the heart of the project, featuring an expansive square with an eagle-adorned obelisk at its center. Paseo Hall, a partially open-air and multifunctional building within Plaza Aguila, provides abundant programming to draw the community together and encourage a social and educational setting.  The main hall can be rented for community and social events. In partnership with West Hills College, lecturers teach topics ranging from personal finance to parenting.  By connecting the West Hills and Paseo communities, Paseo implements a launchpad for enrollment and pursuit of diverse, higher-wage careers, planting the seeds for a more resilient economy. The intuitive marriage between flexible space and enrichment programming realizes Paseo’s potential as an environment of self-actualization.
Condor Cottages Senior Housing Pavilions Gardens	Ample porches for socializing line each senior housing cottage, which fronts a tranquil, welcoming green space with a semi-public gazebo and the more private Condor Pavilion, all bordered by native mosquito-repellent flowering plants.  These spaces are perfect to mingle and host family, and the screened Condor Pavilion allows for a social retreat protected from mosquitoes.  The location offers residents central proximity to the existing senior center, Plaza Aguila, Paseo Quetzal and Mariposa Gardens, and fragrant landscaping lines an elegant pedestrian thoroughfare.
Mariposa Gardens Childcare Community Gardens Exercise Equipment Trail Connections	A new facility for the Head Start daycare center mirrors a community garden, providing opportunities for health and wellness education and creating an area where plants and children grow together side-by-side.  A gazebo offers a cool and shady meeting point and a relaxing spot for gardeners. A trail sprinkled with exercise stations continues west to the Splash Zone at Maldonado Park and east to the canal.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY

Paseo utilizes innovative design features to address the Central Valley’s current challenges while preparing for environmental changes and technological advancements.  As with all aspects of Paseo, design elements look beyond the property limits to improve the environment on- and off-site.

Water	With a mere 7-15” of rainfall annually, poorly infiltrating soils and increasing land subsidence, water conservation and efficient use is vital.  A rainwater storage system will collect runoff and provide passive irrigation for streetscape landscaping and fire suppression. Green roofs are not used because (1) it is a priority to contain rainwater (from mosquitoes) then make use of the water and (2) efficient structural designs minimize cost. Site landscaping is irrigated with zoned greywater systems.  Sharing of sanitary plumbing systems among buildings requires fewer connections to the sanitary sewer main, which reduces utility connection fees.
Energy	Recognizing that buildings take a fraction of the total energy consumption, the project will employ an integrated approach to reduce heating, cooling and lighting demand through active and passive strategies. Rooftop and ground-mounted solar panels totaling 1.2+ acres direct 1,150 kWh of energy to a substation, powering 100% of the site and supplying excess to the grid.  Solar panels are south-facing to receive direct sunlight throughout the day. Homes with garages are equipped with EV-ready charging stations. All buildings are equipped with both passive ventilation (for cooler months) and ductless mini split systems (for warmer months).  This is complemented by a high-performance building envelope with long-term insulation, air barrier performance and durability requirements. Predominantly native landscaping is integrated with trees to provide summer shading, thus reducing additional heat to the building.
Materials	While impermeability and consolidation of the in-situ clay soils challenge the region, Paseo adapts by using the excavated material to build pavers on-site for the plazas and raised roadways.  A mixture of clay and fly ash (a coal-burning power plant byproduct available from a Mendota supplier) make for  innovative reuse of the two materials, reducing on- and off-site environmental footprint.
Health	Various public meeting places are planted with a diverse array of fragrant landscaping carefully chosen to provide comfortable settings while resisting drought for long-term reliability, low maintenance and deterring of mosquitoes.  On-site medical offices and social services help residents address physical and mental health and reduce transportation.

A NOVEL APPROACH TO HOMEOWNERSHIP

Paseo’s market-rate apartments provide a flexible pathway for renters to access homeownership’s benefits by implementing a new flexible co-op approach to homeownership “Tenancy-to-Equity” .  “T2E Agreement” (if opted into during lease signing) will govern how residents flexibly gain equity through purchasing Paseo co-op shares. Residents initially pay rent under traditional tenancy, yet with opportunities to purchase shares through an easy online portal. When unexpected expenses arise, or during unemployment, e.g. drought or a pandemic, there would not be penalties for not purchasing shares. Once residents purchase sufficient allocated shares, residents become empowered co-op members, sharing the responsibility of management while benefiting from appreciation. Residents shift from paying rent to traditional co-op costs. 

Aaron Reuben developed the Paseo proposal with the following team members: Joseph Sandor, Christopher Weir, Marc Gazda, and Pauline Koy. Aaron Reuben graduated from NYU and is a third-year law student at Georgetown Law.