Hana Gardens in El Cerrito, CA

Hana Gardens provides senior housing while honoring the area’s Japanese heritage. The community has two four-story buildings and a single-story stone-faced former florist shop that was preserved and transformed into a resident community room. A second community room opens onto an outdoor courtyard garden with raised planters, a picnic area and benches. Other features include a fitness room, a computer lab, laundry facilities and bike storage. Half of the homes are fully accessible to people with disabilities. The El Cerrito Senior Center is conveniently located on the ground level—with transit, and safe bicycle and pedestrian paths nearby.

Hana Gardens also has a beautiful public plaza honoring the Japanese influence on the flower industry, with historical narrative panels and a timeline along the sidewalk. Eden partnered with the Japanese American Citizens League and the El Cerrito Historical Society on this project.