GATEWAY RISING

When construction is completed in summer 2023, Gateway Rising will be a 140-unit community that provides rental apartments for families and has easy access to amenities such as shopping, public transportation, and a public library. The property will be four stories and will include a community room with a kitchen, an after-school program classroom and teen center for youth, a computer lab, fitness center, and outdoor recreation areas including picnic tables and BBQ.  The revitalization and expansion of Gateway Rising is a response to the tremendous need for affordable workforce housing in Silicon Valley, one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets where many workers are being priced out.  Seven units are set-aside for households who are experiencing homelessness.

HISTORY OF THE SITE

Originally built in the 1960s and acquired by MidPen in 1987, the original Gateway Apartments was a 130-unit affordable apartment complex spanning two city blocks in Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhood, close to Facebook’s headquarters. In 2016, MidPen redeveloped one of the blocks and 48 of the units which became Sequoia Belle Haven, 90 brand-new affordable rental apartments for seniors. The new Gateway Rising represents the final phase of Gateway Apartments’ redevelopment. With the work currently underway, 140 new affordable apartment homes will be constructed on what was the remaining 82 apartments’ footprint, resulting in a net gain of 58 affordable homes for families. 

The name Gateway Rising pays homage to the new life of the property after revitalization and expansion.

During the process of rehabilitating Gateway Rising, residents of the original Gateway Apartments have been temporarily relocated with assistance from MidPen.  These residents will be given priority on the new apartment homes at Gateway Rising.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are seeking an artist to create two murals at Gateway Rising, one on an exterior wall that will be highly visible to pedestrian traffic along Willow Road and one on an interior wall, on the first-floor lobby.

We are most interested in commissioning a work of art that is meaningful in the context of its time and place and one that resonates with the members of the Belle Haven and Gateway Rising communities. We seek hand-painted art murals that are durable and vandal resistant on the exterior wall.

The dimension of the outdoor mural is 33.3’ x 11.5.’ This wall that will be highly visible to pedestrian traffic along Willow Road and located adjacent to the main entrance to the apartment building.

Fiber cement panel will be used for building material to cover the exterior of the building.

The dimension of the indoor mural is 19.3’ x 10.9.’ This mural is on the first floor, adjacent to the residents’ mailboxes.

Gypsum board (drywall) will be used for building material to cover the interior of the building.

WHO WE ARE

MidPen Housing is one of the nation’s leading non-profit developers, owners, and managers of high-quality affordable housing. In the fifty-two years since MidPen was founded, it has developed over 100 communities and 7,500 homes for low-income families, seniors and special needs individuals throughout Northern California.  www.midpen-housing.org

 SCHEDULE:

This schedule is subject to change due to the possibility of variations with the construction timeline.

SUBMITTAL

Responses must be submitted in PowerPoint, PDF, or Microsoft Word format through the Café portal or emailed to Jasmine Soria-Delgado via email at jasmine.soriadelgado@midpen-housing.org.

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection panel jury will choose up to three artists to interview before arriving at a final decision. 

For questions regarding the housing project site and the Request For Qualifications, please contact Jasmine Soria-Delgado: (650) 773-9195.

Application Requirements

Artists interested in responding to this Request for Qualifications must submit the following information by October 23, 2022.

THE APPLICATION IS COMPRISED OF:

a)      Artist Bio – Please provide a statement speaking directly to your history and experience as an artist. Please note a connection (such as residency) you have to the project, the Belle Haven neighborhood, Menlo Park, the County of San Mateo, or the Bay Area.

b)     Portfolio – Please provide up to ten (10) images of your past artworks that are most similar in scope to the proposed project.

c)      Statement of Interest – Please describe your interest in this project, the themes that you are interested in representing through your artwork and explaining how you are uniquely qualified for this project. (Can be combined with the artist bio as one document.)

Eligibility Criteria

The Gateway Rising project team will evaluate each proposal and make a selection based on the following criteria:

 ·        Ability to work with a client to create a design

·        The artist’s unique style and it’s compatibility with the site’s                  proposed design elements.

·        Flexibility and collaborative attitude

·        Experience working collaboratively with design teams,                          community groups, and stakeholders

·        MidPen’s interest in the proposed themes related to the project

·        Local artists will be given preference (Belle Haven                                neighborhood, Menlo Park, San Mateo County, Bay Area)