DCI’s Associate Kyle Holman and Senior Business Development Coordinator Katelyn Surprenant attended the grand opening ceremonies of Coliseum Connections – the largest, modular transit oriented development (TOD) by a BART station in the city of Oakland. After taking a quick 20-minute train ride from downtown San Francisco, they reached Coliseum Station where the multifamily residential complex was in view from the platform. Coliseum Connections includes a five-story building with 66 living units and three separate two-story buildings with a total of 44 two-story townhomes. In total the mixed income residential project includes 110 units with 50% market rate, and 50% affordable apartments.
Virtually unrecognizable as a modular building, 179 modular units were stacked together to create this four-building development. The owners (Coliseum Transit Village One, LP and Coliseum Development Partners) and developer (UrbanCore Development and Oakland Economic Development Corporation) chose modular construction for Coliseum Connections to reduce the construction schedule and to minimize overall construction costs. The project was completed in just 17 months and is estimated to have saved more than $4 million in construction costs.
This project was delivered by a public private partnership including public sector funding from the State, City and County coupled with private funding from Chase Bank, Commonwealth Multi-Family Housing Corp, Royal Bank of Canada and HUNT/Freddie Mac.
As part of the ceremony, the for-rent units were available to tour. The spacious interiors included walk-in closets and a full-sized tub and laundry. The circular floorplates allow for an open kitchen that flows into the living area and a large bedroom with a queen size bed that connects back to the restroom.
BART trains must have passed by dozens of times during the ceremony, virtually unnoticed by attendees. The interior courtyard had quickly become an active community gathering space.
“You could hardly tell you were located off such a main thoroughfare. The site lines were only of the beautiful courtyard and the building itself,” Kyle said.
Toward the close of the ceremony, Michael Johnson from UrbanCore Development spoke about the powerful sense of community that made this project so successful. Bringing his son on stage with him, Michael reiterated UrbanCore’s focus on projects that bring growth to the local community and noted that he plans to pass this along to his son, who was “often on site throughout the project and knows it as well as anyone else on the team!”
The success of this project can be attributed to many things from modular construction to a strong public-private partnership, but what truly brought it to life was the unwavering commitment of every team member and stakeholder, the community they formed, and their hard work and willingness to see this project through. Here’s to many future TOD modular developments in Oakland and surrounding communities.
Want to learn more about modular design and construction? Speak to DCI’s modular experts Principals Troy Bean and Jeff Brink.
Katelyn Suprenant, Senior Business Development Coordinator, works in the San Francisco office. With more than five years of A/E/C industry experience, she naturally applies her communications background when pursuing project narratives for the firm. She is currently an active member of the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and Commercial Real Estate Women (CREWsf).
