Rendering by Kodama Diseno Architects
A partnership between the historic Ephesian Church of God in Christ and the Community Housing Development Corporation, turning church owned land into new affordable homes for seniors.
1708 Harmon Street, South Berkeley, on the border of North Oakland and Emeryville
Church owned land, reimagined as senior housing
Ephesians Legacy Court repurposes property owned by the Ephesian Church of God in Christ to bring new affordable senior housing to the Adeline corridor. The project is a partnership between the church and the Community Housing Development Corporation, a Black led affordable housing nonprofit serving Richmond, Oakland, Pittsburg, Antioch, and the surrounding Bay Area.
Who it serves
- Low income seniors, with rents structured for households earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income
- A dedicated set of units reserved for individuals exiting homelessness, paired with on site services
- Primarily one bedroom apartments, plus a two bedroom unit and an on site manager unit
How it is built
- Two connected five story wings, each with wood framing above a concrete podium
- A podium top courtyard, community room, and shared laundry facilities
- A ground level garage with parking for both residents and the church
The housing crisis behind this project
Oakland, Emeryville, and South Berkeley are facing one of the most severe affordability and displacement crises in the country. Ephesians Legacy Court is a direct response to that crisis, not just a housing development.
The numbersThe rent burden
More than half of renters in the Oakland area are rent burdened, spending over 30% of their income on housing. Many low income families spend over half of every paycheck just to keep a roof overhead.
The numbersA supply imbalance
Housing production over the last decade has favored luxury, market rate units. There is effectively zero market rate housing in the area a minimum wage earner could afford.
The historyAn exodus of Black residents
Redlining and urban renewal laid the groundwork for today's uneven housing landscape. When the East Bay's tech driven economic boom hit, tens of thousands of working class Black residents were priced out of neighborhoods they had lived in for generations.
The historyDisplaced congregations
Historic institutions like the Ephesian Church of God in Christ now face a strange reality: their own congregations and patrons can no longer afford to live near the church.
Why this project mattersA structural defense against displacement
Ephesians Legacy Court lets seniors on fixed incomes age in place instead of being pushed out by rising rents. By keeping church owned land out of the speculative real estate market, the project permanently dedicates it to a public good rather than luxury development. With 20 units earmarked for people exiting homelessness, it also builds real supportive housing directly into the neighborhood. Together with sister projects along the Adeline and San Pablo corridors, it helps preserve the cultural and multi generational heritage of the Oakland and Berkeley border.
A century of history, a new chapter
The Ephesian Church of God in Christ has served South Berkeley for nearly a century. Discussions to turn church owned property into housing began in 2020, growing out of conversations with the surrounding community. Both the church's Harmon Street parcel and the Adeline Corridor Plan came together in 2021, backed by dozens of letters of support from congregation members and neighbors.
The Community Housing Development Corporation, founded in 1990 and based in North Richmond, is developing the project alongside the church, extending its work across the Bay Area to South Berkeley.
Ephesians Legacy in the News
Local and regional outlets have followed this project from its earliest planning stages through recent funding milestones. A selection of that coverage is below.
South Berkeley's Black churches build affordable housing
The original in depth report on how the Ephesian Church of God in Christ and St. Paul AME Church partnered with CHDC to bring affordable housing to their properties, and what the decision meant for their congregations.
Read moreA $15 million funding boost from Alameda County
Coverage of the Measure W dollars awarded to 1708 Harmon Street and the People's Park supportive housing project, part of a countywide push to fund homelessness and housing work.
Read moreHow Measure W grants were distributed regionally
A breakdown of the ten affordable housing and homelessness projects across Alameda County, including Oakland and Berkeley, that shared in this round of Measure W funding.
Read moreDesign and materials behind the Harmon Street building
An industry overview of the project's architecture, from Kodama Diseno Architects' choice of redwood panels and board formed concrete to the ground level plaza meant to connect the housing with the church.
Read moreChurch led development along the Adeline corridor
A real estate industry look at how two Black churches are using their own land to build affordable homes, and what that means for church nonprofit partnerships across the region.
Read moreWhat the project means for neighborhood planning
An urban planning perspective on how Ephesians Legacy Court intersects with gentrification pressures, neighborhood preservation, and transit oriented development near Ashby BART.
Read more