The February 8th Grand Opening of Drs. Julian and Raye Richardson Apartments in San Francisco’s Civic Center/Hayes Valley neighborhood was a moving event on many levels. The beautifully designed, mixed-use, energy efficient five-story building sits on one of the last remaining parcels from the city’s redevelopment of the former Central Freeway. Community Housing Partnership (CHP) developed these 120 service-enriched studio apartments for chronically homeless adults in partnership with Mercy Housing California. For many in attendance, the Grand Opening was a bittersweet moment in which to withness the birth of a community rising from the fresh ashes of redevelopment.