Doris, 71, walks briskly around San Bernardino’s Valencia Vista community every day, cane in hand, smiling and waving as children, teens, parents and even other seniors wave back and call out “grandma!” as she strolls by.
“This is a great community – the people who live and work here are all nice and the area is safe,” Doris said. “I love it!”
It wasn’t always that way.
Doris first moved to the community 13 years ago, when it was the Waterman Gardens Residential Community, an aging collection of 270 public housing apartments built in 1943 that included temporary, war-time housing. Doris said she worried about her safety and hesitated to leave her apartment.
In 2014, the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino (HACSB) and National CORE, one of the nation’s leading developers of affordable housing, launched an ambitious plan to re-imagine the development into a vibrant, mixed-use, mixed-income, sustainable community for individuals and families.
The revitalization has unfolded in phases.
Valencia Vista opened in 2016, bringing new life into the area with a host of community-centric amenities and luxury style apartment homes for people earning below 50% of the area median income. Olive Meadow opened as the second phase and Crestview Terrace marked the third phase in 2021. Together, they provide more than 300 beautiful apartment homes.
Jackie Berckley, who served as National CORE’s Valencia Vista senior community manager for seven years, said Arrowhead Grove’s transformation was breathtaking to behold. Some 70% of the original Waterman Gardens residents stayed in the community and found a home within Arrowhead Grove.
Doris, one of those residents, has lived in Valencia Vista since it opened.
“It was a godsend,” she said. “I love all the changes they’ve made to the community. It is so nice to see new buildings and families. The area looks so much prettier, too.”
As she walks, she waves her cane and smiles back to her greeters – and takes comfort in knowing she is part of a loving community. She says the community is close-knit, safe and quiet. In addition to her walks, she loves relaxing in the community center and playing bingo with other residents.
Berckley said one of the benefits of the new community is the array of resident services provided by Hope through Housing, including free after-school care, family financial coaching, community events and support for seniors.
“It was so amazing to see how our after-school program inspired our youth to learn more and grow. I saw children grow up, graduate from high school and become first-generation college students. I get choked up just thinking about it,” Berckley said. “I also loved seeing our senior population become more comfortable and interested in community programs. The area just became more friendly and beautiful.”
The community’s fourth phase – Alder Square – is set to break ground in November 2025 and bring 92 more apartment homes to the area, for a total of 414 apartments across all four Arrowhead Grove communities.
Alder Square will be an all-electric building, featuring electric appliances/systems, in-unit washer and dryers and water efficient fixtures. Energy consumption will be offset by rooftop solar panels that will also be used to support electric vehicle charging stations.
HACSB Executive Director Maria Razo said the Arrowhead Grove area and San Bernardino are in an era of rapid growth and investment aimed at helping residents thrive.
“Our decade-long partnership with National CORE has been transformational not just for this neighborhood, but for the families who call it home,” Razo said.
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