Boulevard FLEX: Housing / Retail in a Historic District, 2004
Size: Six Light Industrial Spaces & Six Dwelling Units
Location: Niles, California
This work revolves around a small post-WWII community, in the Bay Area, ripe for redevelopment. It is located within the City of Fremont, and is known as Niles. Prior to 1957, Niles was an industrial / railroad town, governed by Alameda County. Industry thrived in the area because of the railroads. The post-WWII transportation shift to trucking essentially entombed Niles, due to its isolation from developing freeway systems in the Bay Area. Not much has changed in Niles since then.
The project is an urban revitalization consideration with light industrial / cottage industry overtones. It is a real-estate driven design solution supporting light industrial / cottage industry uses, combined with medium density residential functions. The building type is similar to Live / Work, but is more flexible within the real-estate market - termed, Flex Building. This Flex development is comprised of six 3-Bedroom residences with six Flex Retail Spaces.
