The CHA Story
Founded in 1997 as an alternative approach to traditional real estate development, Creative Housing Associates, LLC (CHA) is a neighborhood and transit-oriented builder. We model ourself after the historic concept of the town builder - a partner to the community and facilitator for growth and maturity in alignment with local values. Since our inception, we have focused on building small-town downtowns near transit stations, to encourage accessibility to diverse, vibrant neighborhoods, while de-emphasizing automobile use.
In numerous of public/private partnerships, CHA has teamed up with municipalities and transportation agencies, in order to bring forth some of California's most respected and tasteful civic revitalizations. In 2006, CHA's Mission Meridian Village in South Pasadena won several coveted awards including the Congress for New Urbanism's "Charter Award" and "Best Transit-Oriented Project" by the Urban Land Institute.
CHA prides itself in the ethos of not building units, but homes and spaces for people to live, create and commune. It engages renowned architects to thoughtfully design every project, delicately integrating new development with existing structures. Great value is placed in renovating historic districts, with extensive experience in applying sensitivity to historic buildings through adaptive reuse and even site transfers.
In every endeavor, CHA is unwavering in its commitment to listen to communities, respect traditions and build consensus. We often commit to local hiring provisions to offer professional opportunities and training to at-risk populations and to ensure direct investments to the community. To this end, Michael Dieden, CHA's President, founded the non-governmental organization PVJOBS in 1998 and served as the first President in what has now become a national leader among exemplary hiring halls that offer technical training and living wages to at-risk populations.
3 SINS OF CORPORATE REAL ESTATE
Along the years typical corporate development has led to fragmented and inefficient communities. An abundance of congested highways, strip shopping centers, big boxes, office parks and gated cul-de-sac, have led to a separated, isolated single use pod instead of an integrated community. Identifying Highways, Big Malls and Sprawls as the sins of corporate real estate instantly differentiates the type of development we are interested in, not one focused on the past fascinations but one that is well diversified, pedestrian driven and close to public transit.
THE MISSION
TOWN BUILDER
CHA is a town-building company.
We challenge the status-quo.
We are socially-conscious and sustainably-minded.
Conventional wisdom is not accepted, as our present-day issues are the by-products of commonly held beliefs. Our ethos grows out of a commitment to improving the quality of life of residents and patrons of the communities we build in. We work to add value for future generations and invest in people and place resiliency with positive social & economic outcomes as our benchmarks for success. CHA’S projects articulate the pressing need for a massive shift away from real estate business as usual. Our solutions unify the enactment of real-world results with attractive, profit-minded vehicles for investment.
HOW TO BUILD A STRONG TOWN
Conventional wisdom is not accepted, as our present-day issues are the by-products of commonly held beliefs. Our ethos grows out of a commitment to improving the quality of life of residents and patrons of the communities we build in. We work to add value for future generations and invest in people and place resiliency with positive social & economic outcomes as our benchmarks for success. CHA’S projects articulate the pressing need for a massive shift away from real estate business as usual. Our solutions unify the enactment of real-world results with attractive, profit-minded vehicles for investment.
COVID-19 STRATEGIES
As Covid-19 keeps looming in the present, it's clear that it will leave a longing impact, forcing us to adapt and reevaluate the current circumstances. Apart from rethinking the office model, housing densities have been impacted, lower interacting circulations are now the norm, and Working from Home has become a new way of living.
