Tilden Terrace affordable apartments

Tilden Terrace, Culver City’s first affordable housing development for large families, involves the new construction of a mixed-use, urban infill development featuring 33-units of family housing and approximately 10,400 square feet of ground-floor commercial retail. The development is situated on a 32,279 SF site located at the southern intersection of Washington Boulevard and Washington Place in the City of Culver City. The ground floor commercial retail fronts Washington Boulevard, one of the city ’s primary commercial corridors, and is designed to encourage pedestrian foot traffic through the use of wide sidewalks, building setbacks and colorful landscaping. 

The building’s design is intended to support existing and future neighborhood and community serving commercial uses, as well as housing opportunities compatible with adjacent residential neighborhoods. The building is designed and constructed in accordance with California Green Building Standards Code and using sustainable development practices by pursuing a LEED Silver (or higher) green building certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. 

The development of Tilden Terrace was made possible through a combination of competitive funding sources, such as Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity (TCAC), City of Culver City Housing Set Aside funds (20% tax increment) and Non-Housing Set Aside funds (80% tax increment), conventional debt financing, and Enterprise Foundation Green Grant. The project is designed as a contemporary building reflective of the progressive architectural and artistic expression seen throughout Culver City ’s transforming cityscape. The scale, choice of materials and colors relate to the storefront community development encouraged by Culver City and implemented throughout the City. 

A continuous storefront of retail shops lines the block facing Washington Boulevard between Harter and TIlden Streets. The shops, of varying width and height continue the retail, pedestrian oriented character of Washington Boulevard. Careful treatment of signage, awnings or overhangs, space for planting and benches provide security to encourage pedestrian traffic. The two stories of housing are organized in pairs to provide a generous landscaped setback at the second story. The pattern of paired units, gardens, and paired units above the storefronts adds to the visual interest of the project. The landscaped areas serve as water-treatment opportunities for the project. This rhythm of units, open space and landscaping creates a low scaled and low-density garden terraced housing vision along the street. The units on Washington Boulevard are all set back five feet from the top of the shops and receive a pattern of color and material to further reduce the massing of the overall project. The units themselves are arranged around a central courtyard that contains common functions including laundry, community gardensand play areas. All units are entered through the courtyard, which is on the podium above the shops. This leads to greater security and helps to build a sense of community. The alley perimeter is landscaped and have unit setbacks consistent with the treatment along Washington, above the shops.

Sustainable development and green buildings have an inherent physical and ecological benefit to its occupants and visitors. The proposed project serves the community as a model in sustainable design and smart growth development by exceeding green building design standards to meet the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)'s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building standards at the Silver certification level, or higher. As such, each residential unit isstrategically designed to maximize day lighting as well as natural ventilation for a comfortable and healthy quality of life for the residents. Careful consideration is given to the design of unit interiors to create privacy for residents, ample storage, and usable and functional spaces, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. Each unit maintains a higher level of indoor air quality by incorporating kitchen hoods vented to the outside, low VOC paints, incorporation of recycled materials, no formaldehyde sealants and adhesives, and the use of ceiling fans for thermal comfort. For the safety and overall well being of residents, especially children, the proposed project is a 100% smoke-free environment.