The Frank G. Mar Community Housing development is a mixed-use project consisting of low-income family housing and elderly housing units situated over street-front commercial space and an underground parking garage. Located in downtown Oakland, California, the project demonstrated that high-density, mixed-use housing can work for inner city areas. The mid-rise tower contains units primarily occupied by seniors while families occupy townhouses oriented to private courtyards at the plaza level. The townhouses have outdoor yards and separate entries.

Innovative ways were utilized to overcome some of the challenges in the design and development of this project, such as creating a condominium with air rights to facilitate the commercial and public parking components. MacDonald Architects also conducted pre-design programming and design workshops with neighborhood groups to encourage community participation in the programming and design process.

Support household and neighborhood fit:

The Frank G. Mar Community Housing is integrated into the fabric of the neighborhood; in particular in scale and massing. The mid-rise building housing elderly residents faces a hotel of the same size, and the low-rise family units face buildings of similar size.

Frank G. Mar Community Housing addresses the needs of Oakland’s growing mixed generational Asian community. The three- and four-bedroom apartments better accommodate the large size Asian families in this city’s Chinatown neighborhood, and the senior housing, the community's elders. The housing is designed to meet the needs of the multi-generation residents; for instance, the building wraps around a large open courtyard, serving as a protected outdoor play area for many children while accommodating the elderly and other residents throughout the day. In addition to the courtyard, front entrances along the pedestrian walks that lead to this shared space help to encourage social interaction among the residents.

The residents benefit from close proximity to shopping, transportation, work and other services. The development also has helped revitalize this downtown commercial district by adding a large resident population.

User input contributed to the success of the development. The architect employed participatory processes in both the programming and design phases of the project.

Be universally accessible:

All units are universally accessible.

Support physical safety and security:

A single pedestrian entrance controlled by an intercom secures the central courtyard from non-residents, allowing children to play unsupervised in the courtyard.