Creative haven: Affordable homes designed for working artists

by tanya_martins | April 20, 2025 2:43 pm

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Arya Apartments provides 87 affordable apartments in a gateway building in downtown San Jose’s South of First Area (SoFA) Arts and Entertainment District.

The 8,825-m² (95,000-sf) project’s design, amenities, and outreach strategies were developed to serve San Jose’s working artist community.

The amenities include common areas, workspaces, multipurpose rooms, and a landscaped courtyard. Working with Local Color, a San Jose arts organization, the project will also include a community flex space at street level that can serve as a classroom, a gallery, and/or performance space for local artists and nonprofits and can be accessible to residents and neighbors.

The colorful exterior design expresses the project’s location as a transition point between downtown high-rises and an adjacent historic single-family neighborhood.

This project used the State Density Bonus Program to increase the number of apartments and the state’s affordable housing approval process to fast-track entitlements.

The project is designed by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects.

Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/creative-haven-affordable-homes-designed-for-working-artists/

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