Monthly rents will range from $603 to $1,551 based on income, Rock said.

Although the apartments are on the small side, Wong said the design made up for that by providing a lot of community areas where residents could socialize outside of their apartments.“We want to be sure that they have a nice space for them, not only to sleep, but also a place to interact with others,” Wong said.

The project has outdoor/indoor community space on the third, seventh and 15th floors, including a top floor deck with views of downtown.

“They’re going to have a great view of the skyline,” Wong said.

In all, Project Manager Catherine Arreaza of Joseph Wong Design Associates, said that the building will have more than 6,000 square feet of outdoor terraces.

“There are a lot of opportunities for outdoor living,” Rock said.

Parking will be limited, with 40 on-site spaces for residents, but there also is a storage area for up to 140 bikes, Rock said.

The apartments in Harrington Heights will be set aside for people with annual incomes ranging from 25% to 50% of the area median income.

Tenants would include veterans, chronically homeless persons, and those with developmental disabilities, Rock said.

The city is providing the 19,000-square-foot site, retaining ownership of the land, but giving Chelsea a ground lease, Rock said, adding that the site is a vacant lot that had been used as a temporary farmers’ market.

The city also is contributing $10 million toward the project, Rock said.

Other Funding sources include the California Department of Housing, and Citibank. Social services and case management for tenants will come from the Alpha Project.

High Profile

With Level 10 Construction as the general contractor, the building is scheduled for completion in November 2025, Rock said.

Wong said that his firm began designing the project about 10 years ago with an eye toward creating “an active urban environment” with the building serving as a gateway to the surrounding neighborhood.

“It’s a very high-profile location,” Wong said, adding that, “For us, we really wanted to come up with an excellent design with pragmatic functionality.”

As described by Arreaza, the building exterior “will be dressed in a neutral color palette comprised of white, grey, and black cement plaster.”

With large windows to allow natural light to flow into the building, the structure will have what Arreaza said are “articulated moments of satin finishes and metal accents including an aluminum storefront and window-wall system with special coating over the black cement plaster.”

The exterior color pattern is meant “to lead your eye up from the ground,” and

designed “to accentuate the southwest building corner and tower massing.”

Rust-colored metal canopies and shade fins will “provide pops of color along the south and west elevations,” Arreaza said.