In a city where affordable rentals can feel like an urban legend, Mitchell Park Place at 525 East Charleston Road is now officially open, bringing 50 below-market-rate apartments to Palo Alto. Half of those homes are reserved for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the ground floor is set up with office and program space for local nonprofit AbilityPath. The county-owned project was developed by Eden Housing with support from the City of Palo Alto and Santa Clara County.
Developer Eden Housing says the four-story building features studios, as well as one- and two-bedroom apartments, aimed at households earning up to 60 percent of the area median income. According to Eden Housing, the property includes a community room, resident services space and sustainability-minded touches such as solar panels and dedicated bike parking. Construction began in January 2024, replacing a county office building that previously hosted AbilityPath programs.
Designed For Residents With Developmental Disabilities
Mitchell Park Place sets aside 25 of its 50 apartments for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and layers in on-site supportive services through AbilityPath. AbilityPath states it will occupy ground-floor office and program space to provide services to residents, according to AbilityPath. During project ceremonies, AbilityPath CEO Bryan Neider said the new homes will help people live safely and independently in their own community with the services they need to thrive, per Eden Housing.
Funding And Partners
Like most affordable housing in the region, the financing came together through a dense stack of public subsidies and tax-credit tools. The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee reserved $2.5 million per year in federal low-income housing tax credits and $4,847,061 in state credits for Mitchell Park Place, and its staff report also notes the development will receive 25 Section 8 project-based vouchers and a $12 million county loan, according to the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee. A related e-binder lists a $32,000,000 tax-exempt allocation associated with the development’s financing.
Why It Matters
Palo Alto’s supply of below-market housing is notoriously thin, and projects like Mitchell Park Place are designed to plug some of the biggest gaps for residents with special needs while keeping them close to services and transit. Local officials and housing advocates have leaned on a mix of city, county and state resources to get developments like this off the ground. City materials lay out how Palo Alto prioritizes and funds deeply affordable homes through its dedicated programs, per the City of Palo Alto…