Paseo Adelanto: City Hall and Zero-Emission Affordable Housing Design
Jamboree Housing Corporation
Recipient
Irvine, CA
Recipient Location
37th
Senate District
73rd
Assembly District
$1,000,000
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
Jamboree Housing, in collaboration with a municipality, a sustainability architect, and other partners, has completed its goal of designing a net zero mixed-use city hall in San Juan Capistrano, California. The development encompasses a new city hall and 50 residential units, with 49 designated for households at very low-income affordability levels, and one non-income restricted manager’s unit. The development further serves individuals experiencing homelessness and individuals with mental illness. The 5.7-acre site formerly housed the existing city hall, which has been demolished to make way for this new construction project.
This state-of-the-art design integrated cutting-edge renewable energy technologies, sustainable design and construction techniques, green operational practices, and a highly innovative municipal partnership to create a unique mixed-use development. This design could serve as a model, demonstrating how multiple relationships, innovative financing, and cutting-edge design, construction, and technology elements can combine to create a scalable and replicable model that can be adopted by municipal jurisdictions and affordable housing developers.
This project was part of the Energy Commission's Next EPIC Challenge design-build competition (GFO-20-305). A project video, which was highlighted in the CEC's annual EPIC Symposium, can be found at the link here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_QdnstWZBY&list=PLIcSRKAeCVRjlZYqQRteN…
View Final ReportThe Issue
Mixed-use development has emerged as an integral component and tool in smart growth strategies. Numerous reports have highlighted the environmental and socio-economic benefits of mixed-use development. Policy and market drivers are pushing for greater quantities. However, the pathway to zero-emission mixed-use development is currently uncertain and likely not technically or economically feasible using available commercial technologies, and standard building design and construction practices. Further complicating matters, recent studies have found that smart growth development can increase gentrification and displacement of low-income households. This raises questions about whether mixed-use development can be planned, designed, and built in a manner that is affordable, equitable, and emissions-free, and help transform the market.
Project Innovation
This project will explore energy equity within affordable housing in California, including an assessment of the current approach to estimating utility bills during the design of affordable housing required by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee and provide data and alternatives addressing impacts to residents and decarbonization efforts. It will also provide measurement and verification on common area photovoltaic (PV) systems to understand whether forecast reductions in tenant electricity bills are being realized.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
This Agreement will result in the ratepayer benefits of greater electricity reliability, lower costs, and increased safety by providing on-site renewable energy and microgrid islandable technology, at no additional cost to low-income housing residents. During power outages and natural disasters, end users will still maintain access to electricity, increasing safety during these events.
The development’s tenants will benefit from having lower utility costs resulting from the sustainable building design and construction, energy star equipment, lighting and heating design, smart building control systems and education about efficient utility use that lowers their energy consumption and carbon emissions. This project will be a replicable template for developing zero-emission, affordable housing projects across the state and therefore represents a highly impactful model that can benefit ratepayers statewide by reducing grid demand and flexibility as well as increasing grid resilience by integrating more grid-edge DERs.
Equity
The project provides all-electric, energy efficient, and grid-reliability innovations to tenants to income-qualified tenants.
Reliability
The project will help increase greater electricity reliability by providing reductions in daily peak demand through on-site renewable energy coupled with energy storage. Additionally, microgrid control technologies will provide power for Tier 1 critical loads during power shutoff events.
Key Project Members
Casey Harris
Cristina Cota
Subrecipients
GRID ALTERNATIVES
Community Energy Labs, Inc.
KIMLEY-HORN AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
CANDELA ENGINEERING INC.
EPTDESIGN
ARCHITECTURE DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
ARCHITECTURAL NEXUS, INC.
E4 Utility Design
Ultra High Materials, Inc.
CUMMING MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC.
TAD CONSULTING, INC.
Match Partners
GRID ALTERNATIVES
Community Energy Labs, Inc.
KIMLEY-HORN AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
CANDELA ENGINEERING INC.
EPTDESIGN
E4 Utility Design
Ultra High Materials, Inc.
