Meea Kang, Artistic Lincoln Court Architect

by Meredith Florian

What comes to mind when you think about property developers? Greedy, autocratic builders foisting their profitable "big box" projects on unwilling communities? Think again! Meet Architect Meea Kang, an altruistic developer with the eye of an artist and the soul of a social worker.

Fortunately for Oakland, Ms. Kang, co-founder of Domus Development in San Francisco, is spearheading the construction of the Lincoln Court Senior Housing Development at the former site of the infamous Hillcrest Motel.

Raised largely in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and Woodbridge, Connecticut, Ms. Kang went to Cornell in Ithaca, New York, and finally U.C. Berkeley, where she earned her master's degree in Architecture. As an undergraduate, she studied painting and sculpture and taught herself to weld. "I did large-scale steel installations," she told the Metro. "I'm very passionate about art and spaces and influencing people with special relationships." For a time she worked with the "rich and famous" in Los Angeles designing interiors but admits she hated it.

As she shared pictures of colorful, attractive projects she has done in other urban communities, it became obvious to me that she has now found her professional niche as a developer with a social conscience. "The developer envisions and figures out how to get [a project] financed and built," she says. "I'm the architect of the big picture. I come up with ... the concepts of what I want the building to feel like. I like to put in as many recycled and green materials as the project can afford, think about energy efficiency." And most important, she notes, developers must take responsibility for what they build.

Ms. Kang's mother, a social worker for the elderly, and her father, a professor, were working in communities all the time.

Excited by the site, she will be working not only in conjunction with YHLA Architects and Self-Help for the Elderly, but also the surrounding community. She has already met with neighbors at a series of community forums and performed her own "needs assessment."

"Without going to the community, you'll never know what they feel about your project. One of my first steps is, here's what I think we can build, based on my financing; here's my proposal to the community." As a developer, she points out that she wants to maximize "density," maximize the number of units, since "the need is always there."

Originally, she had envisioned 120 units at the site, but after neighbors were unhappy with that much density, she compromised on 82 units. "I make as many concessions as I can. Some cost us a little money, but in the end, it's what you have to do to have an acceptable project."

While she dialogs with neighbors, she endeavors to explain the limitations of any project, which sometimes means more units than people might want. "In order to make a project feasible, you must have a certain amount of density," she reminds us. Ultimately, this final product will be beautiful senior apartments with lots of windows and natural light and graceful landscaping.

While designed for residents, seniors in the area may also participate in activities, and the community may volunteer. As readers can see on the Dimond District Web site, the building will be three stories, no higher than what was there before.

Given California budget cuts and a city that can't even afford to fix potholes, you might askhow Oakland can afford such a project. According to Ms. Kang, "It's all part of this crazy financing for affordable housing. Fifteen years ago the state created tax credits to create a public/private partnership to finance affordable housing. You get your normal loan, but given the Bay Area's high cost of land and labor, you always have gaps in your financing. Typically, cities step up and provide what's called gap financing."

While Oakland is providing a $10 million subsidy, Domus Development still has to aggressively seek multiple funding sources. In order to win the contract, Ms. Kang's fledgling company had to put together a four-inch binder full of documents outlining both her development and financing plans.

While Ms. Kang notes, "The majority of the community embraced the project to my absolute humble delight," the venture has not been without its naysayers. She blames this attitude on the stigma of low-income housing. She received a few e-mails expressing concern that, "Oh, it's going to be crime and those people again." She credits the Dimond Improvement Association, the Boston neighbors ("an extraordinary group of people"), and the expertise of the architects for making the project such a pleasure to work on. The city of Oakland has also been supportive "They want to see this area turned around. I think it's a real victory for everyone."

If all goes well, construction should start by the end of the summer.

If you have comments or questions for Ms. Kang, she may be reached at (415) 558-9500.