Pre-applications now available for Kottinger Gardens affordable senior apartments

Pre-applications are now being distributed for local seniors hoping to qualify for one of the new apartments built as part of the first phase of the Kottinger Gardens affordable senior housing development.

Located just outside downtown Pleasanton, the Kottinger Gardens Phase 1 features 130 low-income apartments for seniors being constructed at 240 to 258 Kottinger Drive.

MidPen Housing Corp., the nonprofit affordable housing developer overseeing the project, will accept pre-applications from candidates between May 22 and June 5 with a lottery to follow for available apartments in July.

“The new Kottinger Gardens project will not only increase the amount of housing for very-low-income seniors in Pleasanton, but also provide our community with a state-of-the-art senior housing development,” Brian Dolan, Pleasanton assistant city manager, said in a statement.

The Kottinger Gardens project aims to replace and redevelop the city’s Kottinger Place and Pleasanton Gardens senior housing complexes across the street from each other on Kottinger Drive, off First Street just outside downtown.

Phase 1 is taking place on the old Kottinger Place site, which previously contained 50 units.

MidPen is replacing those with 51 single-story cottage apartments finished in March and 80 more units in a two- and three-story building still under construction and expected to be completed in October. One of those units is a resident manager’s apartment.

The development also includes a community room and kitchen, computer lounge, fitness room, laundry and outdoor amenities such as community garden plots for residents, a bocce ball court, seating areas and outdoor patio.

Once completed, work will begin on the second phase, rebuilding the old Pleasanton Gardens site to provide an additional 54 affordable apartment homes, where today there are 40.

Priority for the new Phase 1 apartments was given to returning households from the former Kottinger Place and Pleasanton Gardens, as well as those on the Kottinger Place waitlist, according to city officials.

For the other available Phase 1 apartments, seniors can seek a position by completing the pre-application, which was made available starting Monday.

The apartments are reserved for households with incomes between 30% and 60% of the area median income (AMI) for Alameda County who have at least one member of the household 62 years of age or older. The AMI is between $21,930 and $43,860 for a single-person household.

Pre-applications can be picked up at the Kottinger Gardens leasing office (251 Kottinger Drive), the city offices (200 Old Bernal Ave.), the Pleasanton Public Library (400 Old Bernal Ave.) and the Pleasanton Senior Center at 5353 Sunol Blvd.

The pre-applications are due to the Kottinger Gardens leasing office by mail or in person between May 22 and 5 p.m. June 5. They cannot be returned to the city or Senior Center, officials said.

A public lottery will follow on July 19, with MidPen and city officials present. No lottery priority is given based on when seniors submit the pre-application within the prescribed time-frame.

For more information, visit the city website.