By Robert Haugh
A new Santa Clara apartment complex is offering 18 affordable units, with applications open through May 6 on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the City of Santa Clara.
The apartments are at The Orlo, a new multi-family development at 1200 Rickabaugh Way. The City says the available units include studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments.
The pricing shows how high even “affordable” housing remains in Santa Clara County.
The Orlo’s 80% AMI one-bedroom units rent for $2,265 a month and require a minimum monthly income of $4,530, according to the City posting.
The project also has 100% AMI units available, including:
Studio: $2,279 rent, $4,558 minimum monthly income
1-bedroom: $2,397 rent, $4,794 minimum monthly income
2-bedroom: $2,855 rent, $5,710 minimum monthly income
3-bedroom: $3,347 rent, $6,694 minimum monthly income.
The City says there are three vacant 80% AMI one-bedroom units, plus 15 units at 100% AMI: one studio, eight one-bedrooms, five two-bedrooms and one three-bedroom.
Santa Clara County’s “affordable housing” is pegged to regional income formulas, not to what many renters would consider low rent.
In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara HUD Metro FMR Area, the 2025 median income is $195,200 for a family of four. The 80% AMI limit is $159,550 for four people and $111,700 for one person.
Those household-size income limits are what determine who can qualify for below-market units like the ones now available at The Orlo.
Applicants can review eligibility requirements and apply online or by mail through the Orlo listing. Questions can be sent to orlo@hollandpartnergroup.com or 408-598-1908, with phone hours listed as 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
We don’t need any more high density housing in this area. It strains existing retail, police, fire, and medical. As for the rent, even people working in tech probably can’t afford it. This means that they will be subleasing to others for apartment complexes that are not meant to house 3 to 4 cars per occupant. This in turn means that parking overflows into neighboring streets. I understand that developers want tons of money in and cities want more tax revenue, but this is an unsustainable model. This is causing many people to flee out of the area.
That’s still too high for a person living in shelter. Shelter promise to get us housing for life and I’ve been stuck here for over a year and still waiting on housing