Grand opening celebrates journey after massive fire: Residents moving in to affordable housing development, Middlefield Junction, in North Fair Oaks

On Thursday, nonprofit developer Mercy Housing, San Mateo County leaders, housing advocates and new residents celebrated the resilient journey that is honored throughout the walls of the 179 units on-site. 

“That moment could have defined the project as a loss, however, it revealed the strength, and the determination of a collective team committed to ensuring this community would not be shaped by that setback,” Mercy Housing President Tiffany Bohee said. 

The affordable housing development, located at 2700 Middlefield Road, was in the works for a year when an eight-alarm fire engulfed all six floors of the larger of two buildings and destroyed progress in under three hours. 

Residents began moving in to the exact building in March, less than a year after initial move-in projections.

Supervisor Lisa Gauthier, whose district represents the North Fair Oaks area, said standing in between the two buildings Thursday afternoon was extremely meaningful. 

“Middlefield Junction is not just a new building, it is a testament to the spirit of the community that refuses to give up on itself,” Gauthier said. “This neighborhood has endured hardship including the fire, but what I saw in the days and months that followed was extraordinary.” 

While the community checked on one another to make sure elders and children were safe, the construction workers, contractors and developers moved quickly to keep their focus on the prize. 

“That was something you may have prepared for the worst but you never expect it to happen,” Mercy Housing Project Lead Kelly Hollywood said. “It was a challenge when it was presented to us but speaks to the perseverance of our financing partners, the county, the community who really showed up for us.” 

Project Manager Elena Palacios took a moment for herself Thursday morning to revel in how far the project has come since that day in June 2024. It’s surreal standing in between two buildings, she said. 

Palacios and Hollywood both grew up in San Mateo County, so seeing the partnerships that brought the development to life was special. 

They also are proud, knowing that the development is another effort to chip away at the immense need for affordable housing in the county. More than 2,000 applications were filed for the 179 apartment units at Middlefield Junction, Palacios said. 

Over half of the units are rented out now, and Mercy Housing has doubled its team to process applicants and move through the leasing process. Palacios and Hollywood hope for full occupancy by the end of the summer. 

The units range between one-, two- and three-bedrooms reserved for residents earning between 15% and 80% of the area median income. Twenty of the units are dedicated to serving residents transition out of or experiencing homelessness.

An on-site childcare center is also under construction, which will serve up to 36 infants and toddlers. 

Janet and Ivan Gonzalez, and their three children, are one of the many families that have moved in during the past six months and now call Middlefield Junction their home. Ivan Gonzalez shared his gratitude to developers for bringing the project to fruition. 

“What you do doesn’t just provide housing,” Ivan Gonzalez said. “Today we can truly say we have a place to grow up, to share with family and to dream big. That is something priceless.” 

Gustavo Velasquez, director of the state Department of Housing and Community Development, said Middlefield Junction was “emblematic” of the kind of housing needed to be built across California. 

Notes could be taken, too, of the determination and resiliency needed to do just that.