Building Hope in Walnut Creek

Development Update

You might spot it as your BART train slows down for a stop at the Pleasant Hill station. Or hear the staccato of hammers or the hum of a circular saw during your midmorning run along the Iron Horse Trail. They’re the sights and sounds of dreams in the making.

What started as a vacant lot in the heart of Walnut Creek is evolving into Esperanza Place, a neighborhood of 42 affordable homes. With the help of a community of volunteers and donors – and the thousands of hours being put in by future homeowners – walls and rooftops are rising from sturdy foundations on which 42 families will build new beginnings.

The effort is true to its name, Esperanza Place. Esperanza is Spanish for hope, and hope is what we’re building at the end of the day. That’s because while we build walls and hang doors, we build all the things that come along with owning a home to call your own. Positive outcomes in health, financial wellness, academic achievement, and generational wealth. Security and room to thrive. A stable, affordable mortgage that leaves space to grow, save, invest, build. A community to plant roots in. A parent’s peace of mind and a child’s quiet place to study.

Our First Zero Net Energy Development

Our first Zero Net Energy development, Esperanza Place is breaking new barriers in the affordable green building movement. From rooftop solar panels down through water-efficient landscaping, we’re integrating sustainability throughout the design and construction process to ensure that Esperanza Place contributes more energy than it consumes – so that it takes a lower toll on the environment and our homeowners’ wallets.

Esperanza Place is also high-density and transit-oriented, which means we are maximizing our land resources to bring homeownership within reach for more families, and keeping those families close to transit – BART, bus routes, and the Contra Costa Centre transit village are all a stone’s throw away – and a network of pedestrian and cycling trails. It all makes for reduced congestion and emissions on our roads and highways, and the fostering of healthier lifestyles.

A New Community at a Glance

The one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom townhomes will be grouped into eight buildings, surrounding a central community space for neighbors to gather and children to play. At Esperanza Place, we will serve qualifying families earning up to 120% of Contra Costa County’s Area Median Income , who will purchase homes – an opportunity difficult to come by for so many in the Bay Area – and do so affordably.

Our Client Services team is currently taking applications to be added to our Buyer Ready List and considered for homeownership within this development. Click here to learn how to apply.

Help #BuildMore

The first phase of construction – the first 23 homes of Esperanza Place – is well under way, but plenty more work lies ahead. Sign up for our volunteer newsletter, Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the most up-to-date volunteer information!

Habitat for Humanity can make these opportunities affordable for families because we have the support of a community. Whether it’s volunteers who build shoulder-to-shoulder with future homeowners, donors who open their hearts, sponsors who give generously, or people who advocate for the policies that pave the way for developments like Esperanza Place – it’s our community that turns vacant lots into places of hope.