There was hardly a dry eye in the courtyard of Mercy North Auburn at Rock Creek as resident Sonja shared her moving story on May 11^th’s dedication event.

“When he first saw the place, my son said, ‘Mom, I thought you were moving us somewhere ugly. This is really nice!’” Sonja recalled to the partners, staff, and other residents gathered in Mercy North Auburn’s sunny courtyard.

A mother of four who persevered through challenging circumstances to establish a safe home life for herself and her children, Sonja and her two younger sons are among the first residents enjoying the well-appointed homes, tranquil grounds, and onsite services at this new, 79-home affordable family community.

Mercy North Auburn at Rock Creek is Mercy Housing California (MHC)’s second community in the town of Auburn. This new apartment and townhome development is located within the Placer County Government Campus. It was developed in partnership with Placer County, which contributed three acres of property, housing vouchers, and funding from two state grants.

“Beyond the County’s support with the land, entitlement, and funding, it just means a lot to have a project that has so much political support,” said MHC President Doug Shoemaker in his address at the dedication. “For those of us who have been in the field a long time, it’s so wonderful to come to a community and see such an embrace of affordable housing. That’s becoming more common throughout California, but it hasn’t always been the case.”

Two local artists, Stan Padilla, and Norm Tucker, were engaged to create large-scale, permanent art installations at Mercy North Auburn at Rock Creek.

Norm Tucker’s Three Feathers is an 18-foot steel sculpture that endeavors to honor the heritage of the property, which is the traditional land of the Miwok, Nisenan, and Maidu tribes. The sculpture is the result of a partnership between Placer Community Foundation, Mercy Housing, and Placer County Health & Human Services to expand affordable housing and the arts in North Auburn and was sponsored by the Mary Ann Flemmer Arts and Environment Fund at Placer Community Foundation.

The community room at the property is adorned with a bas-relief, multi-paneled painted wall mural by Stan Padilla. Entitled The Song of the Baskets, this colorful mural is an artistic affirmation of living in harmony with nature. In the coming months, residents of Mercy North Auburn at Rock Creek will partner with Stan to complete three clay panels – Balance of Nature, Water is Life, and The Sun Gives Life – that will be installed on the building’s patio.

The striking artwork, spacious community rooms, and gentle creek encircling the grassy grounds all contribute to Mercy North Auburn at Rock Creek’s idyllic visual appeal. What gives the community its true value, however, are the people who call it home. “Our county’s residents need affordable housing, and our employers need their employees to be able to live and work here,” said Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson. “We can go much further, to achieve much more for our residents, when we all come together.”

Enjoy more photos of the building and dedication here.

---

Mercy Housing California thanks our Mercy North Auburn at Rock Creek partners:

ARCHITECT: Mogavero Architects
CONTRACTOR: Broward Builders, Inc.
PARTNERS AND FUNDERS: Placer County, Placer Community Foundation, Wells Fargo Bank, California Community Reinvestment Corporation, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, California Department of Housing and Community Development

---