The Ruby Street Apartments is a publicly funded, 72-unit housing project nestled along the San Lorenzo Creek between Castro Valley and Hayward. The project will provide much-needed affordable family housing for the area while preserving a riparian corridor and creek access for the broader community. Area motifs, materials, and colors are incorporated into the apartments’ design and ease them into the residential context.

The project will preserve a majority of its site as open space. Allocations have been made for a public access point and a creekside easement intended to extend of the Bay Trail to Don Castro Park. The primary frontage along Ruby Street will connect three- and four-story residential wings that themselves frame a creek-facing courtyard. Two parking lots will accommodate residents while extending the riparian zone tree canopy.

The Ruby Street Apartments will serve families earning between 20% and 60% area median income, with 15 units dedicated for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, 15 units dedicated for veterans, and 10 units for people with disabilities. Infrastructure for EV charging, a bioretention area, solar photovoltaics, and solar water heating will be among the project’s active sustainability features.