A major affordable housing project is now taking shape in downtown Walnut Creek, bringing 93 new rental homes to 699 Ygnacio Valley Road near North Civic Drive.
The development, called Civic Crossing, is being built by Resources for Community Development on a 0.86-acre site just a short walk from Walnut Creek BART, several bus lines and the Iron Horse Trail.
It’s the long-closed former gas station site across from 7-Eleven.
The nonprofit developer says the five-story building will include housing above roughly 1,200 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.
What Is Being Built
Civic Crossing is planned as a 100% affordable housing development with 93 total apartments. State tax-credit documents describe the project as 92 restricted rental units plus one manager’s unit, with 24 studio units, 21 one-bedroom units, 24 two-bedroom units and 24 three-bedroom units.
That mix matters because it is not just a studio-heavy project. The inclusion of two- and three-bedroom apartments means the building is designed to serve families, not only single residents.
The site is also meant to function as a small mixed-use development, with community-serving commercial space on the ground floor, a large multipurpose community room, onsite resident services and property management, laundry facilities, and a landscaped courtyard and play area.
Who The Apartments Are For
The project is aimed at households earning between 20% and 60% of area median income, according to state tax-credit documents. Thirty units are listed as homeless set-aside units, and the project is expected to receive HUD Section 8 project-based vouchers.
In practical terms, that means the homes are intended for people who are priced out of Walnut Creek’s market-rate rental market, including lower-income families and residents who need supportive housing.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development says state income limits are used for affordable housing programs tied to HUD income limits, and that affordable housing cost is generally tied to a household’s income rather than market rent.
Construction Is Underway
Civic Crossing is not just a proposal anymore. As you can see from our photos, it’s actively under construction and rising into the sky!
Applications for the units will reportedly open later in 2026.
State tax-credit documents previously anticipated construction beginning in May 2025 and completion in February 2027. RCD has also described the project as being on track for a 2027 completion, with framing underway and work moving ahead on interior and exterior systems.
The project carries a large price tag: state documents list total project costs at about $90.4 million. Financing includes tax-exempt bonds, federal tax credits, city support, county housing funding and several state affordable housing programs, including No Place Like Home, Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities, and the Local Housing Trust Fund.
A Key Spot Near BART
The location is one of the most important pieces of the project. Civic Crossing sits at 699 Ygnacio Valley Road, near the corner of North Civic Drive, in a part of Walnut Creek already shaped by major transit-oriented development.
Nearby, the Walnut Creek Transit Village at the BART station is one of the city’s biggest development projects, planned for hundreds of apartments, retail space and major parking and transit improvements. BART describes the Transit Village as a roughly 596-unit project with retail space, a replacement parking garage, a BART police facility and intermodal bus facilities.
Civic Crossing is separate from the Transit Village, but it fits into the same broader shift: adding dense housing near transit, jobs, trails and downtown services instead of pushing new housing farther out.
Years In The Making
The 699 Ygnacio Valley Road project has been in the works for years. In 2020, the Walnut Creek City Council approved a $6 million loan toward what was then described as a $68.2 million affordable mixed-use project on the former gas station site.
Why It Matters
Walnut Creek has plenty of market-rate apartments and high-end development, but deeply affordable family-sized apartments in walkable downtown locations are much harder to find. Civic Crossing adds nearly 100 such homes in one of the East Bay’s most transit-rich neighborhoods.
We’ll keep following this story and will let you know when construction is done! Make sure to join our free 925 News newsletter so we can keep you posted.
