City of Petaluma partners with MidPen to address housing instability

MidPen Community at 414 Petaluma Blvd. N. Provides 44 New Affordable Downtown Homes
May 27, 2022

The City of Petaluma will join other local leaders to celebrate the Groundbreaking of 414 Petaluma, an affordable rental apartment community under construction, developed by MidPen Housing. The event will be held on Thursday, May 26th from 11am-12pm at 414 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma.

The result of a partnership between the City of Petaluma, Sonoma County, and MidPen Housing, 414 Petaluma represents the vision to transform a previously underutilized site into family housing for those most in need, including farmworker families and individuals who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness.  

“We are beyond excited for the opportunity to work with MidPen on this essential housing development for our community,” said Petaluma City Manager Peggy Flynn. “414 Petaluma is an integral part of our City commitment to provide a pathway to housing for those experiencing housing instability. This is one of many initiatives we are supporting with our community partners to end homelessness in our community.”

The community will provide 44 affordable rental apartments, including 18 units designated for farmworker families and 13 units with set-aside preference for households who are at risk or experiencing homelessness and have other supportive housing needs. Construction on 414 Petaluma began in April 2022 and will welcome residents in beginning fall 2023. 

414 Petaluma demonstrates a responsive solution aimed to address housing instability and applies California Senate Bill 35, which streamlines the production of affordable housing communities in the region. The development utilizes California Department of Housing and Community Development’s (HCD) No Place Like Home funding for its supportive housing units, and was awarded the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant for its farmworker housing units. Sonoma County Housing Authority provided 16 project-based Section 8 vouchers, which pays for housing for qualified individuals.

“We are thrilled to break ground on 414 Petaluma, which delivers on the City of Petaluma and Sonoma County’s housing goals,” said Matt Franklin, President and CEO of MidPen Housing. “We applaud our partners’ leadership to identify this site for revitalization and provide housing for residents, close to jobs, transit, and neighborhood amenities.”   

414 Petaluma will provide two studios, 19 one-bedroom, 12 two-bedroom (including manager’s unit), and 11 three-bedroom apartment homes for households earning between 30% and 60% of Area Median Income (AMI). Community amenities include a multi-purpose community room, secured bicycle storage, and outdoor recreation areas. 

MidPen Services, an affiliate of MidPen Housing, will coordinate a broad array of onsite programming designed to empower residents to seek economic mobility, educational opportunity, and mentally and physically healthy lives. Case management for supportive housing residents will be delivered by third-party service providers and coordinated by the Sonoma County Department of Health Services. MidPen Property Management will provide onsite professional property management. 

Financing for the $35.1M development is provided by the City of Petaluma, Sonoma County Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Housing Authority, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC), Bank of America, and California Community Reinvestment Corporation. 414 Petaluma was designed by LPAS Architecture and the general contractor is Quiring General, LLC.