Second Street Studios

First Community Housing is proposing to build 134 energy-efficient studio and one-bedroom apartments at the corner of South Second Street and Keyes Street over ground-level retail. Thirty-five percent of the units will be set aside for the developmentally disabled population and those who require in-home services.

Second Street Rendering

Rob Wellington Quigley, AIA is an award-winning architectural firm that designed the building. The current plan includes 11,211 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, with on-site parking for customers, employees, and residents. The building is registered in the LEED for Homes Mid-rise pilot program incorporates a living roof, and is expected to receive a LEED Gold or Platinum certification.

Second Street Studios will showcase innovative, green building materials and systems developed in Silicon Valley. The US Green Building Councils LEED certification program credits buildings that use regional materials within a 500 mile radius. The Second and Keyes building will focus more specifically on the influence and innovation of the Silicon Valley. LEED defines locally sourced materials as those building materials or products that have extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured, within proximity to the site.

Local participating companies include:

  • Agilewaves
  • Serious Materials
  • Integrity Block

Amenities will include:

  • On-site manager and maintenance staff
  • Laundry facilities
  • Community room and lounges
  • Computer lab
  • Gym with workout equipment
  • Landscaped open spaces
  • Ground-floor shops and restaurants
  • Each unit will have Internet access
  • Located adjacent to transit
  • Free annual transit pass (Eco Pass) for Santa Clara County transit

Many green-building features, including:

  • Energy-efficient windows
  • Photovoltaic electricity
  • Healthy indoor air quality
  • Living roof
  • Green screen planted wall