BAY POINT, Calif. — Contra Costa County will break ground Tuesday, Oct. 20, on the first phase of Orbisonia Village, a roughly $128 million mixed-use project that pairs 169 apartments with a new public library near the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station.
The ceremony is set for 1 p.m. at 570 S. Broadway Ave. in Bay Point, according to a county announcement published Oct. 17. Construction is expected to run through 2028, and the library is expected to open in spring 2029.
What's being built
Phase one covers 3.31 acres at Bailey Road and Maylard Street, within walking distance of BART. It includes:
- 169 apartments: 167 affordable rental homes plus two manager units
- A mix of studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom homes
- Rents for households earning 30% to 70% of area median income
- A 20,900-square-foot Bay Point Library
The county expects the homes to house about 1,000 residents.
The library will replace the community's current library, which operates inside Riverview Middle School. Plans include a maker space, a children's room, a teen space, a quiet reading room, six study rooms, a large community meeting room and an upper-level balcony.
A bigger plan, started years ago
Orbisonia Village is the first piece of a larger county plan for the site.
In May 2022, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors approved a master development agreement with Pacific West Communities for up to 384 affordable homes on about 7 acres between Highway 4, Bailey Road, East Leland Road and Ambrose Park, CBS News Bay Area reported. The project was planned in three phases, with phase one covering the library and the first block of apartments.
The county owns the land. It was bought with money from the former Contra Costa County Redevelopment Agency, and the county now manages it as that agency's housing successor. The site sits within the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station Area Specific Plan, which calls for high-density, transit-oriented development.
Phase one has grown since then. The 2022 approval described about 150 rental units in the first phase. The current plan has 169.
How it's funded
The county estimates phase one's total development cost at about $128 million. It did not break down amounts by source, but listed:
- Land financing
- Measure X
- State Permanent Local Housing Allocation funds
- Local affordable housing funds
- Tax-exempt bond financing authorization
- Other state and federal financing
The county said it also pursued state funding for related improvements: bike and pedestrian upgrades, transit service and bus shelters, transit passes, and workforce development and anti-displacement programs.
What they said
Board Chair Diane Burgis said it's exciting "to see the County's long-term redevelopment vision come to life with Orbisonia Village."
Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston, whose District V includes Bay Point, noted that it's the county's first new library in 50 years, "a brand new Library right here in District V." She added: "Bay Point is the largest unincorporated community in Contra Costa County."
Why it matters for contractors
Analysis: Phase one is designed around modular construction, according to Architects Orange, the project's architect. The firm's project page describes 169 modular units in a five-story podium building on the residential portion of the site. If that holds, much of the residential work will happen off-site in a factory, with site crews handling foundations, the podium, utilities, crane sets, and finishes.
The library is a separate public building.
The county did not name a general contractor. Subcontractors interested in either piece should watch for a contractor announcement and for county permit activity on the Bailey Road site.
Phases two and three, which would bring the total toward 384 homes, offer more work down the line. The county has not announced a schedule for them.
What's next
After Tuesday's groundbreaking, construction is expected to continue through 2028, with the library opening in spring 2029.