Through a public-private partnership with Contra Costa County, Overaa acted as developer, designer, builder and financier of this $21-million build-to-suit project, which provides permanent supportive housing for 60 formerly unhoused individuals.

This business model is the first of its kind in the county, and the project is one of the first office to residential conversion projects in the Bay Area. The adaptive reuse of this commercial office building into multifamily residential and supportive housing required adding 6,000 sq ft under the existing cantilevered upper floors, demolishing the center of the structure to provide a courtyard for egress and natural light, an extensive seismic retrofit, all new interior finishes, a new roof, plus new sitework and landscaping. Each studio micro unit averages 220 sq ft, which includes a full bathroom and adaptable shower and a kitchenette.

Originally built in the 1960s, this sturdy but outdated building required significant modifications to meet current seismic and safety standards. While there was a strong case for demolishing the old building and starting fresh, the project team decided to preserve and adapt the existing structure. Many of the 1960s architectural features such as central stairs, elevator, exterior lighting, exterior walls and some of the site’s existing trees remain. But development timelines were reduced by up to a year, and the landfill diversion rate was approximately 78% lower than that for a new building.