Richmond, California once served as a productive shipyard during the World War II era and the city’s deep harbor saw many a 747 warship built there. However, the port also attracted chemical companies that contaminated the harbor with pesticides like DDT. Environmental cleanup continues today, and the city has recently emerged as a surprising leader in the movement toward sustainable redevelopment. Thanks to community greenhouse gas reductions and best practices, the city has even won platinum and gold sustainability awards, per Next City.

Perhaps one of the best examples of the city’s focus on sustainability is the Miraflores project, an effort to transform a brownfield (previously developed land that is not currently in use) into green infill. Construction began recently on the 14-acre brownfield, once a Japanese-American-owned nursery. The redevelopment project aims to build 80 units of affordable, solar-powered senior housing, 190 condos that are mostly market-rate, and a 5.4-acre greenbelt connecting to Richmond’s public transit. The project also aims to allow a rippling creek to flow above ground for the first time in years.

At the same time, the redevelopment efforts aim to preserve the brownfield’s unique history. Many of the old greenhouse structures will remain standing, as well as the water tower and the original homes of the families who ran the nursery that was formerly on the site. The project looks ahead toward a brighter future for Richmond, while also highlighting the early 20th-century Japanese immigrant flower operations that were once run in this part of the city.

Construction of the senior units will be finished by May 2018, while the creek restoration will be finished by summer or fall 2018.