2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments in Santa Clara Celebrates Groundbreaking Ceremony

Designed by KTGY Group, 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments, a development by ROEM Corporation, in collaboration with Pacific Housing, Inc. and the City of Santa Clara, broke ground. 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments will offer 48 one-bedroom apartments that are affordable to seniors with annual incomes that are at or below 60% of the Santa Clara County Area Median Income. End Quote

San Jose, CA (1888PressRelease) June 21, 2012 - On Wednesday, June 20, 2012, Santa Clara broke ground on 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments, a development by ROEM Corporation, in collaboration with Pacific Housing, Inc. and the City of Santa Clara. The groundbreaking ceremony began at 2:00 p.m. at 2525 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California 95050 (cross streets: El Camino Real and Buchanan Drive).

"Providing affordable housing for our community is a very important City Council priority, and we are happy to see this high quality project move forward," said Santa Clara Mayor Jamie L. Matthews. "This project is an excellent example of what the private and public sectors can accomplish by working together to meet affordable housing needs. The City's Housing Authority is proud to partner with ROEM and others to create these new senior apartments-housing that will be safe, affordable, have easy access to public transportation and shopping, and meet senior needs."

When it opens in the summer of 2013, 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments will offer 48 one-bedroom apartments that are affordable to seniors with annual incomes that are at or below 60% of the Santa Clara County Area Median Income. El Camino Real Senior Apartments is one hundred percent affordable to very-low and low-income families.

"We are very pleased to be implementing our award-winning affordable housing model in and with the City of Santa Clara," said Jonathan Emami, Vice President of ROEM Corporation. "Through a collaborative process the City of Santa Clara has shown once again that developing affordable housing through public-private partnerships greatly benefits the residents and the community, who in turn will have a sustainable, high quality and affordable place to call home."

Designed by award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., this $15,000,000 development will consist of a three-story "C" shaped building, wrapping itself around an enclosed landscaped courtyard and acting as an outdoor extension of the community room with pedestrian access to parking and entry spaces. The architectural style of the project will utilize a mission-style uniform color scheme with contrasting materials and details with subtle punches of accent color in architectural features. Project amenities will include a community room, a computer room, a laundry facility, a courtyard area with a barbecue, community gardens, benches, lighting and landscaping, a gate, and fencing.

"2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments is in a unique location situated between a single-family neighborhood and El Camino Real," said KTGY Principal Keith Labus, AIA, LEED AP. "The decision to focus the community inward is respectful of the single-family neighborhood behind the site and insulates the indoor and outdoor amenities from the busy street in front and adjacent commercial uses making 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments a quiet oasis for its residents."

An environmentally-sensitive development, 2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments will be constructed using sustainable building methods and will incorporate a number of 'green' features designed to ensure its long-term energy-efficiency and sustainability

"AEGON is proud to partner with ROEM Corporation for the fifth time in the production of quality, affordable housing which is sorely needed in Santa Clara," said Christopher Long, Vice President of Community Investments, AEGON USA Realty Advisors, LLC.

2525 El Camino Real Senior Apartments is financed with 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and tax-exempt bond financing made possible by Freddie Mac Credit Enhancement Program. ROEM and Pacific Housing, Inc. have partnered with the Citi Community Capital, AEGON USA Realty Advisors, and the City of Santa Clara for financial support on this project. The City of Santa Clara invested $7,000,000 in this development. The architect is KTGY Group Inc. and the general contractor ROEM Builders, Inc.

Grand opening celebration speakers included: Mayor Jamie L. Matthews, City of Santa Clara; Christopher Long, Vice President of Community Investments, AEGON USA Realty Advisors, LLC; Brian Dale, Vice President, Citi Community Capital; Mark Wiese, Executive Director, Pacific Housing, Inc.; Jonathan Emami, Vice President, ROEM Development Corporation; Robert Emami, President, ROEM Corporation.

About ROEM Corporation
ROEM Development Corporation, ROEM Builders, Inc. and their affiliated entities are a full-service development and construction organization that has been specializing in the acquisition, planning, financing, new construction, renovation, and asset management of affordable housing for families and seniors throughout California for over 30 years. As a model developer and proven industry leader in the production of affordable housing, ROEM maintains its commitment to providing high quality housing through its collaboration with the public and private sector and communities alike, while completing developments with quality control and efficiency.

Ranked in the Affordable Housing Finance Top 50 National Developer's list, and a registered member of USGBC and Build It Green, ROEM is dedicated to creating wholesome communities that are not only sustainable, but are designed smarter and built better to ensure that residents and visitors are healthier, happier, and safer.

To date, ROEM has completed 17 affordable housing projects totaling 1,782 units with almost 700 affordable housing units currently under construction. In total, ROEM Development Corporation, ROEM Builders and its affiliates' affordable housing portfolio includes 25 projects totaling 2,699 affordable housing units.

About City of Santa Clara
Santa Clara is a family oriented and business friendly city in the center of Silicon Valley. The City of Santa Clara is in a strategic regional location convenient to freeways, airports, railroads, expressways, light rail and other public transportation. "The Mission City," as Santa Clara is known, was founded in 1852. It is now a community of about 118,000 residents with employment base of about 135,000. With 19.3 square miles of tree-lined neighborhoods, thriving commercial and industrial centers, and 300 days of sunshine each year, it is an ideal location for individuals, families, and businesses. Since 1990, Santa Clara and its agencies have invested more than $158 million in affordable housing projects, programs and services. Visit http://santaclaraca.gov/ for more information.

About KTGY Group
Celebrating 20 years, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, provides comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, market trends and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, Calif., Denver, Colo., and Tysons Corner, Va. See www.ktgy.com.

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