...anymore,” says Quackenbush, whose company is also preparing to break ground next month on a 50-unit affordable housing family project called Riverwalk in San Diego. “Most people walk by these projects and see hip, modern projects. Affordability is a silent issue.”

Turner Construction is building the downtown San Diego project.

Graham says that people can “drive by every [affordable] project we have funded over the 15 years and never even know they are affordable housing properties. They look just like market-rate, and their design is equal and comparable.”

The modern urban tower will be highlighted by bay windows, glass-rail balconies, “Santa Barbara” stucco, limestone around the base to “hold it to the ground and evoke weight and strength,” says Cutri.

There will also be special articulations at the seventh and ninth floors, where the tower steps in about 25 ft on the east, west and south sides. The indentations point to public commons areas, with meeting/office rooms, barbecues and kitchens, laundry rooms, landscaping and mandatory affordable housing child play centers.

The common areas will be surrounded by more than 7,000 sq ft of outdoor, landscaped terrace space, which offers expansive views of Coronado Bridge and San Diego Bay to the south and mountain vistas to the east.

Ten Fifty B is also shooting for a LEED gold certification. To achieve the rating, the project will utilize photovoltaic and solar hot-water panels on the roof; high-output, energy-efficient lighting; low-water plumbing fixtures; recycled materials in construction; and finishes and bicycle storage areas. The building is also walking distance from public transportation.

The project, which broke ground in June 2008, is being built by New York-based Turner Construction.