Ramsey Jay, the executive director of the Santa Paula Housing Authority, noted that “The Orchards will provide a much needed affordable, livable community for seniors in the city of Santa Paula. Fountainhead Architects did a fantastic job transforming an institutional-looking building into twenty craftsman-style individual homes with a unique, pedestrian scale and residential appearance. All of the homes are one-story and are designed to accommodate those seniors with disabilities and physical challenges.”
The Orchards is designed to conform to the Green Communities criteria. The “carbon footprint” of the new community will be greatly reduced by salvaging and reusing an existing abandoned building and by replacing old, inefficient mechanical, plumbing and electrical equipment with new, high efficient, Energy Star-compliant equipment, fixtures and materials. Additionally, the site is landscaped with native plants and trees with an efficient irrigation system, and a raised planting bed will be constructed for the residents to create and maintain their own garden.
