Community partners and public- and private-sector stakeholders came together to celebrate the groundbreaking of Colibri Commons, a co-development of EPACANDO and MidPen Housing.
MidPen Property Management will professionally manage the community, and MidPen Services will provide free, onsite services such as employment preparation, exercise and nutrition classes, service coordination, and adult education services.
“Colibri Commons illustrates the power of community vision, perseverance, and collaboration” said Matthew O. Franklin, President and CEO of MidPen Housing. “Reaching today’s milestone took many years, collective will, and a near-record number of funding sources (11). We applaud EPACANDO, a village of partners, and the City, County, and State leaders for their incredible commitment to affordable housing, and are excited to bring new homes and new opportunities to East Palo Alto.”
“Colibri Commons represents our best work– but our work is far from done,” said Supervisor Warren Slocum, President of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. “Let’s build on these strong partnerships and creative financing strategies to create many more affordable housing opportunities for people in communities across San Mateo County.”
“It has been a long journey to this groundbreaking,” said East Palo Alto Mayor Antonio López. “I am grateful to MidPen Housing, EPACANDO, the County, and a myriad of public- and private-sector partners for recognizing how critical it is to provide the community with quality, affordable housing opportunities.”
Financing for Colibri Commons is being provided through public and private sources including the City of East Palo Alto, County of San Mateo, Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Wells Fargo, California Community Reinvestment Corporation, HEART of San Mateo County, Strategic Growth Council, California Department of Housing and Community Development, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, California Debt Limit Allocation Committee, and California Municipal Finance Authority. The architect is David Baker Architects, and the general contractor is Blach Construction.
