Winning Student Proposal Reimagines Affordable Housing Near Glendora’s New Transit Station

On May 7, 2026, leaders in housing, architecture, and finance converged at UC Berkeley for the annual James R. Boyce Affordable Housing Studio Symposium. The event showcased graduate student teams’ proposals for affordable housing sites near LA Metro’s new Glendora A Line Station—the culmination of a semester-long interdisciplinary studio. This year’s challenge: harness innovative public financing, transit-oriented development, and community-centered design to confront California’s housing crisis while respecting local character.

First Place: Las Semillas

The jury awarded first place to Las Semillas, a proposal that reimagines how affordable housing could be delivered in a suburban context. Meaning “the seeds” in Spanish, Las Semillas draws inspiration from Glendora’s agricultural and Latine heritage. The proposal transforms land adjacent to the Glendora A Line Station into a vibrant mixed-use community. The design features 211 homes for households earning between 30 and 80 percent of area median income and seamlessly integrates housing, transit, community services, and public spaces.

To accommodate density while preserving local qualities, the team has proposed a campus-like approach with a collection of smaller three- and four-story residential buildings organized around courtyards, pedestrian pathways (or paseos), and shared outdoor spaces. The proposal prioritizes family housing, dedicating a substantial share of two- and three-bedroom homes to households often priced out of high-opportunity communities.

The project also demonstrates how design innovation can support affordability. The team has utilized a series of detached single-stair residential buildings that reduce construction and operating costs while creating more opportunities for natural light, ventilation, and neighborhood interaction. Organized around a network of shared courtyards, the design facilitates pedestrian movement, safety, and community-building while minimizing dependence on cars.

Beyond housing, Las Semillas proposes a collection of community-serving amenities intended to strengthen connections between residents and the broader Glendora community. The plan includes a childcare center serving up to 44 children, a neighborhood restaurant and food entrepreneurship hub, community gathering spaces, pocket parks, and a public plaza adjacent to the station entrance. Together, these elements create a welcoming gateway to the station area and a destination for both residents and visitors.

The proposal also stands out for its innovative financing strategy. Developed as a two-phase project, Las Semillas combines traditional Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing with emerging funding opportunities from the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA). By pairing established affordable housing tools with newer public financing approaches, the team has demonstrated how future developments may be able to accelerate production while expanding affordability near major transit investments.

 

Team Members

• Derek Davis, MArch ’27
• Jennifer Flores, MCP ’26
• Ojan Mehraban Mobedshahi, MRED+D ’26
• Lulu Ou, MRED+D ’26
• Rachel Sherr, MArch ’27
• Samantha Wu Rose, MCP ’26

Symposium Discussion

This year’s symposium also featured a keynote conversation with Ryan Johnson, interim chief executive officer of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA), who discussed emerging regional approaches to affordable housing finance and the importance of developing new tools to meet California’s housing needs.

A panel of housing finance and development leaders explored innovative funding strategies, public-private partnerships, and the evolving role of regional housing finance agencies in accelerating affordable housing production.

Student teams presented their proposals to a distinguished jury—a cross-section of leaders in development, architecture, finance, and municipal government. Projects were rigorously evaluated on five core criteria: design excellence, financial feasibility, innovation, responsiveness to community needs, and their ability to advance equitable transit-oriented development.

Looking Ahead

The Boyce Affordable Housing Studio is a forum for future planners, architects, developers, and policymakers to tackle California’s complex housing challenges, providing a critical space to test and refine new ideas. The success of Las Semillas reinforces the symposium’s core lesson: solving the housing crisis demands more than just building houses—it requires connecting housing with community, opportunity, and long-term affordability. Through innovative design, creative financing, and a deep commitment to community integration, the winning proposal offers a compelling vision for the future of transit-oriented affordable housing.

This blog post was authored by Terner Center Managing Director and Associate Research Professor in City and Regional Planning Ben Metcalf. Co-instructors Thom Medek of Bernheimer Associates, Daniel Simons of David Baker Architects, and Claire Parisa of Enterprise Community Partners, along with Teaching Assistant Shubhra Sharma, MCP ’26, joined Ben Metcalf in teaching the semester-long studio. The studio and symposium were made possible by a generous gift from the James Boyce, MArch ’67, family.