Uptown Oakland Residential Project Earns LEED Silver Certification

The Uptown apartments, a suite of mixed-use residential buildings designed by MVE & Partners, has earned a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It is the first mixed-use residential project in Oakland to receive a LEED Silver rating, and further cements MVE & Partners' reputation as an architecture firm with business solutions to green challenges.

The Uptown residences, developed by Forest City Residential Group Inc., are part of the Uptown Oakland Development zone, a 14-acre city revitalization area master planned by MVE & Partners. The first two phases of The Uptown residential complex are completed, and include The William, a 193-unit apartment building, and The Telegraph, with 216 units. The third phase is under construction, slated to be finished next year.

"We are delighted to receive the LEED Silver rating for The Uptown," says Ernesto Vasquez, AIA, Partner, at MVE & Partners. "It is even more gratifying to design green urban developments that exceed our client goals while benefitting the city of Oakland and its residents for decades to come. The Uptown enables residents to live in close proximity to jobs, city amenities and mass transit, thereby creating a better quality of life."

The USGBC recognized The Uptown for its design, energy efficiency and positive impact on community. "The Uptown is to be commended for achieving a LEED Silver certification. This facility is one that both the community and its customers can be proud of," says Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair of the USGBC. "The Uptown will be a showcase for high-performance, energy-efficient and healthy apartment complexes, and an inspiration for others in Oakland and elsewhere."

The Uptown apartment complex consists of three separate buildings with a total of 665 rental units, and 9,000 square feet of retail space. Each building offers two interior courtyards with outdoor grilling and seating areas, lush landscaping and water features. The Uptown also boasts large lobby areas with seating, a community room, fitness center, game room, theater, pool and spa with an expansive outdoor deck, and even a poker room and art gallery. Units rent for $1,580 for a studio to $3,670 for a three-bedroom unit.

In addition to being built green, The Uptown apartments are part of a transit-oriented development (TOD) master planned by MVE & Partners. Wandering paseos lace together The Uptown apartments with other elements of the Uptown Oakland Development zone and connect residents to bus stops and BART stations. The project is adjacent to two BART stations and 15 Alameda County Transit bus lines. Zipcar, a shared vehicle service, is available onsite, exclusively to Uptown residents. The Uptown is at the center the city's dynamic arts and entertainment district, and is close to the Oakland Civic Center, the historic Paramount Theatre and iconic Fox Theater. The project is an infill development, built partially on land formerly used as BART parking lots.

Ultimately, the Uptown Oakland Development zone is slated to have 1,200 mixed-income apartments, 400 student housing units, 900 condominiums and 60,000 square feet of retail or commercial quarters, in a mix of rehabbed and new space.

The Uptown apartments are being built by Forest City Residential Group through a joint venture with MacFarlane Partners. The project is a public-private partnership between the two firms and the City of Oakland Redevelopment Agency. Calpers, the state employee pension fund, is also an investor.

MVE & Partners is a national architecture, planning and interiors firm with a portfolio spanning more than 30 years. MVE's design and delivery services include the creation of residential, commercial, mixed-use, hospitality, retail, transit, interior and planning solutions from offices in Irvine and Oakland, CA, and in Honolulu, HI. Educational and civic projects are completed by MVE Institutional, an affiliated company. MVE & Partners bridges forward-thinking design initiatives, such as sustainability, smart-growth and urbanization to the timely completion of projects. While design diversity is the cornerstone of the firm, the defining approach is the creation of meaningful, attractive environments that enhance community and quality of life.