The development includes two phases.

●        Phase 1 will provide 94 homes to moderate-income, educator households with at least one school district employee who is currently employed by an eligible school district in the West Valley region of the County.

●        Phase 2 will provide 156 homes to income-qualified households and will be a 100% affordable housing development utilizing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program for financing.

Phase 1 is expected to start construction first because it has the most committed financing, including County funds. It is the County’s priority to start supporting local educators as soon as possible given the affordability crisis teachers and school district employees are facing due to the scarcity of missing middle housing.

Our goal is to start construction on Phase 2 as soon as possible after Phase 1 commences to simplify construction logistics on the extremely tight site and to start providing relief to low-income households as quickly as possible.

We anticipate Planning Commission approvals in 2025, with construction slated to begin at the end of 2026. The construction timeline is expected to take approximately two years, with residents anticipated to move in by 2029.

The exact timing of the two phases is uncertain due to the uncertainty of obtaining public funding in the current challenging funding climate with local and state resources for affordable housing running out. However, we are confident in the ability to secure funding for the project without an inordinate delay since the project benefits from its location within a Highest Resource opportunity area, which will enhance its competitiveness for state funding programs. In addition, the project has already received an award of $1 million from the City of Cupertino BMR funds, which will be instrumental in obtaining additional public funding.

Our preliminary Construction Management Plan assumes that Phase 2 will start 6 months after Phase 1 starts construction. After a period of 12 months where both phases are under construction, Phase 1 will be completed and occupancy will commence. Phase 2 will continue under construction for another 8 months before it is completed. Please note that these are schedule targets but the start times will depend on the availability of public funding.

The first phase of the development will provide 94 units of educator housing that will prioritize school district employees in the West Valley region of the County, which includes Cupertino public school districts.

The second phase of the project will provide 156 units of affordable housing for large families. The County will restrict all 250 units in the development at low or moderate income levels.

The number of educator units is limited by the financial resources available for teacher housing and we are providing the maximum that is financially possible.

The educator units will primarily be moderate-income units that are restricted to households earning combined income that is between 80% and 120% of Area Median Income (AMI). This income range best aligns with the combined household income of teachers and their families.

Unfortunately, there are very few public funding sources available to subsidize the construction of moderate-income housing. The County of Santa Clara has made a significant financial commitment to the teacher housing from the Measure A bond program. Due to the high cost of construction in the Bay Area, however, the below-market rate rents result in a considerable financing gap that limits the overall size of the project.

We are excited to provide 94 new homes for educators and school district employees that feature the design and livability preferences gathered from our educator advisory group and community engagement, including: maximizing natural daylight, in-unit washer and dryers, mix of unit types, exterior entries and shared porches, 1 unit to 1 parking stall ratio, wide range of outdoor and indoor amenities.

The affordable units will be restricted to Low-Income households earning less than 80% of Area Median Income and will include a large set-aside for Extremely Low Income households earning up to 30% of Area Median Income. Because this range of incomes does not align as closely with educators and school staff, it does not make sense to prioritize these units for educators.

The project team is still determining the full eligibility requirements.

There will be two primary elements to eligibility:

1.       Income qualification, and

2.       Qualifying employment

1. Income qualification: Households must be earning less than 120% of Area Median Income at the time of initial occupancy to be eligible.

Households earning less than these income limits in 2025 will be eligible to apply:

# in Household: Max Combined Household Income

1: $168,840

2: $192,960

3: $217,080

4: $241,080

5: $260,400

6: $279,720

Homes will be affordable to households earning as low as $48,240 per year in combined household income.

2. Qualifying employment: At least one member of the household must be an employee of a West Valley school district. We have not yet determined whether part-time employees are eligible. If employment ends for the school district employee, there will be a grace period where the resident can find another qualifying position or will be required to move out of the unit. The eligible school districts are included below:

• Cambrian School District

• Campbell Union High School District

• Campbell Union School District

• Cupertino Union School District

• Fremont Union High School District

• Foothill-De Anza Community College District

• Lakeside Joint School District

• Loma Prieta Joint Union School District

• Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District

• Los Gatos Union School District

• Luther Burbank Elementary School District

• Saratoga Union School District

• Sunnyvale Elementary School District

• Union School District

• West Valley-Mission Community College District

All qualifying households that apply to live in the development will have an equal chance at one of the units. At the time of initial lease-up there will be an application period. After the application period closes, there will be a lottery for qualifying applicants and units will be assigned in the order of lottery results.

The affordable housing development is intended to serve the general population at a range of income levels. Apartments have been sized to accommodate the diverse needs of the community, including families of all sizes, seniors, individuals with special needs, and households experiencing housing instability.

A portion of the units will have a priority for applicants who live or work in Cupertino, with an additional priority for public employees who work in Cupertino.

A portion of units may target a specific higher-need population, such as households at risk of homelessness, but that will be determined by the public funding sources that will finance the project.

Income qualification: Households must be earning less than 80% of Area Median Income (AMI) at the time of initial occupancy to be eligible.

Homes will be affordable to households earning less than the maximum limits shown below, and rent will be affordable to households earning as low as $42,210 per year in combined household income.

Households earning less than these income limits in 2025 will be eligible to apply:

# in Household: Max Combined Household Income

1: $112,560

2: $128,640

3: $144,720

4: $160,720

5: $173,600

6: $186,480

Area Median Income (AMI) is a benchmark used to evaluate eligibility for affordable housing. This property will use Area Median Income for the County of Santa Clara.

Learn more: Housing Choices

Yes! Anyone who meets the requirements listed above is eligible to apply.

We understand that adding 250 new homes will add to the strain on existing infrastructure. We are working with City Staff, the Cupertino Sanitary District, Cal Water, and other utility providers to ensure project impacts are mitigated.

The project will complete a traffic study to understand the project’s impact on traffic. In 2025, VTA and Caltrans will start on a major infrastructure project at the I-280/Wolfe Rd interchange that will significantly increase capacity and safety of the interchange and mitigate impacts of additional traffic from this development.

Vehicular access for the project will be along Perimeter Rd, which will provide the only entry point for residents, their guests, and the public. It will also serve as  the primary access point for emergency services.

To provide redundancy for emergency services in the event that the primary access is blocked, the project requires a secondary emergency access point. We are actively coordinating with Caltrans to obtain emergency access from the site directly to N Wolfe Rd and the project plans designate this access as “Proposed Secondary Emergency Access Subject to Caltrans Approval.” We have prioritized this access point since we have heard from the neighborhood community about the importance of maintaining the sound wall for the safety and security of the Portal neighborhood.

The project plans designate an ”Alternate Secondary Fire Apparatus Access Road Connection If Necessary” at the end of Auburn Drive that will only be considered as a last resort if the project team cannot secure access rights from Caltrans. If it becomes necessary, the access to Auburn Drive would be restricted by a solid, locked gate that only the Fire Department would have the ability and rights to open.

Over the past year and a half, our team has led a robust community engagement process to ensure the project reflects the voices and values of Cupertino residents and West Valley educators. This process has included:

• 30+ interviews and project presentations with local community leaders and community-based organizations

• 10 community events, including pop-up outreach at Cupertino Earth Day, neighbor-focused workshops, and sessions tailored for West Valley educators and school staff

• Thousands of invitations and email updates with ~300 people signed up on our project interest list

• 2,800 website views with an average of 3 ½ minutes

Through these conversations and events, we’ve heard firsthand what matters most to the community—your insights, ideas, and preferences have directly shaped the project. Thanks to your thoughtful feedback, the design is stronger, more responsive, and more grounded in local priorities.

We invite you to explore our Community Engagement Findings & Impact Report, which highlights 50 specific ways community input has influenced the project.

The project has been thoughtfully designed to reflect and respect the character of the surrounding community—especially the adjacent Portal neighborhood—based on direct input from Cupertino residents.

Neighborhood Transitions:
In response to community feedback, the buildings are set back from the Portal neighborhood, with heights that step down as they approach the shared edge.

This creates a softer, more gradual transition between the development and existing homes.

Public-Facing Design:
Along the City’s proposed Tamien Innu Trail, the project will feature an active and welcoming edge—complete with landscaping, murals, and ground-floor apartments—to create a safe, vibrant connection to the public realm.

Design Aesthetic:
We asked community members to vote on favorite local buildings and share what they love about the Portal neighborhood’s look and feel. Those preferences directly influenced choices around building color, materials, rooflines, and window styles—ensuring the final design feels rooted in Cupertino’s character.

Eden Housing’s dedicated Property Management team will manage the property and our Asset Management department will ensure long-term stewardship of the development. Our 57-year track record as one of California’s most stable nonprofit developers reflects our dedication to preserving our portfolio and staying engaged in our communities. Eden is committed to investing time, staff, and resources to maintain communities at a high level. The goal is to ensure that properties look as good in Year 50 as they do on Day 1. The County of Santa Clara will own the land indefinitely and will ensure the property is maintained to the highest standard.

The project is currently within the boundaries of Lawson Middle School and LP Collins Elementary School, as designated by the Cupertino Union School District. You can view the current School District Map here. Please note that school district boundaries are subject to change based on enrollment trends and shifts in population within the city.