Habitat Residences

Habitat Residences is a 100 percent affordable housing project designed around the belief that homeownership is a cornerstone of stability, community, and generational wealth. Located along a busy boulevard in a neighborhood transitioning from its manufacturing past, the development reimagines affordable housing by prioritizing ownership rather than rental, offering residents an opportunity and path to invest in their futures while building equity for generations to come. By anchoring its design in the values of equity, ecological stewardship, and community, it creates a place where families can establish roots, thrive, and contribute to the evolving character of their neighborhood.

The four-story project consists of 52 homes—a mix of 45 one-, two-, and three-bedroom flats stacked above a concrete podium and seven two-story townhomes facing the adjacent residential neighborhood. The ground floor program includes a sales and finance center, a lobby and gathering space, parking, and an affordable furniture store that underscores the project’s holistic commitment to providing affordable housing. The ground floor program includes a sales and finance center, a lobby and gathering space, parking, and an affordable furniture store that underscores the project’s holistic commitment to providing affordable housing.

The massing’s C-shaped configuration creates a large interior courtyard shielded from the noise and intensity of the boulevard. Within this protected space, residents encounter a landscape filled with drought-tolerant native plants and pollinator species. These plants reduce water consumption and maintenance, while also contributing to biodiversity by inviting bees, butterflies, and birds into the community’s daily life. The courtyard is the project’s heart: a quiet, green refuge designed to foster social connection, play, and reflection. Garden terraces are integrated vertically into the courtyard-facing facades, extending green spaces to the units themselves. This vertical integration strengthens the sense of sanctuary and provides residents with a direct connection to nature, reinforcing well-being and offering reprieve from the density of the city.