E
den Housing, a Hayward-based nonprofit developer, has donated three acres of creek land in Castro Valley to the Sogorea Te' Land Trust for Native American tribes. The trust will manage the riparian land next to its Crescent Grove complex through a conservation easement funded by Caltrans.

    This is the first waterway to be returned to the trust, according to co-founder Corrina Gould. The 3-acre property along San Lorenzo Creek was part of a 6.3-acre parcel sold to Eden Housing in 2019 after plans for the Hayward Bypass were blocked. In 2020, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to build a 72-unit affordable housing complex on the site.

    However, neighbors opposed the development, citing concerns about wildlife displacement and habitat destruction. To address these issues, Eden Housing worked with the Indigenous trust, which plans to restore the area by reintroducing native plant species and restoring the creek's habitat. The land will be managed through a perpetual conservation easement funded by Caltrans.

    Eden Housing also donated a third of an acre to the Hayward Area Recreation District for a park and trailhead. The nonprofit has built or bought 12,000 affordable homes across California since its founding in 1984.