Latest news with #RelatedCalifornia
San Francisco Chronicle
30-06-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Santa Rosa wants to build 7,000 apartments. This luxury project could make or break the plan
The new Felix apartment building is unlike anything downtown Santa Rosa has seen before. At eight stories and 168 units, the L-shaped mid-rise at 420 Mendocino Ave. is both the tallest and densest building in the city's downtown. And it's definitely the fanciest: There is a double height co-working space with a sleek fireplace and office pods, a wellness center with cedar wood sauna and private steam shower rooms, a rooftop 'sky lounge' with firepit, demonstration kitchen and views of downtown and the Sonoma Mountains. The luxury comes with a cost. Studios start at $2,400, one-bedroom apartments at $2,995 and two-bedrooms at $3,745. Rent prices in Santa Rosa average about $2,000 for a one-bedroom and $3,000 for a two-bedroom, according to Zillow. If the building seems like a slightly more laid-back version of the sort of plush, four-star residential buildings in cities like San Francisco and New York — project architect David Baker calls it 'the hotelization of apartments' — it's because the developer, Related California, has long built some of the most deluxe towers on both coasts. For Related, the shift from major urban centers to smaller cities like Santa Rosa is part of a conscious move to cater to a post-pandemic landscape in which remote work allows for more geographic flexibility. In Santa Rosa they saw a downtown with great bones — a SMART train station, central green space in Courthouse Square, historic buildings, lively 4th Street restaurant row — that would attract people who want to be in a city but close to the wineries and hiking trails and rustic towns that make Sonoma County enchanting. 'We recognized that our customer was moving here and we recognized that the quality of product they were looking for did not exist in this market,' said Matthew Keipper, senior vice president with Related. 'We really view this as an exciting opportunity to follow our customer.' While it's too soon to say how fast the building will fill up — it opened in late May and Related declined to say how many units have been leased — downtown Santa Rosa boosters say it will be closely watched as a barometer of whether the market can support the level of investment needed to realize the city's downtown plan, which calls for 7,000 new housing units to be built in the 720-acre neighborhood by 2040. Currently there are 2,445 housing units in the downtown area, predominantly older duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes in established residential neighborhoods. In recent decades the city has grown largely through sprawl, a trend that came under scrutiny after the 2017 Tubbs Fire wiped out 2,800 homes in the city. 'It's definitely a test case,' said Jen Klose, executive director of the North Bay advocacy group Generation Housing. 'Our downtown needs an infusion of activity and we also just need housing here for all levels, including our young professionals and folks who might be attracted to a place like the Felix.' One group that will be paying close attention to how the Felix performs is Cornerstone, a North Bay real estate investment firm that has a pipeline with six downtown Santa Rose projects totalling 2,000 units. Two of those projects were fully entitled in 2020: an eight-story, 118-unit building on a parking lot at 556 Ross St.; and a six-story, 114-unit complex on a former railroad yard at 34 6th St. Both projects have been stalled due to the usual mix of lofty construction costs and high interest rates, but they could break ground in the next 12 months if the Related project does well, according to Pauline Block, director of marketing and development for Cornerstone. 'We are really excited about Felix,' said Block. 'It's right downtown, next to our projects, and it's of the quality we are aiming for. We are definitely interested to see the demographics that move into that building and how quick they lease up.' Cornerstone is working on lining up construction financing for the first two buildings, and the Felix will help make that case to lenders. 'In a market like ours it can be challenging when you say you are going to build a building of that size and quality and there is nothing similar nearby you can point to,' she said. While the North Bay has a well-earned reputation for being anti-development, there seems to be little opposition to adding density in downtown Santa Rosa. The city recently cut impact fees and Related only had to pay fees on the first three stories of the eight-story building. Felix won approval in just 75 days, and Baker described the community meetings on the project as a 'lovefest.' 'Santa Rosa has a shockingly laid-back culture,' Baker said. 'I was surprised we didn't get people screaming at us trying to stop it. People we like, 'You want to build this downtown? That would be great.'' Part of the acceptance of downtown density may be a result of lessons learned from the 2017 wildfires, which destroyed about 5% of the city's housing stock. Damages in the city topped $1.2 billion and exposed the risks of concentrating development in wildlands-urban interface zones rather than downtown. 'It makes a lot of sense to put density downtown because of the fire situation on the outskirts,' said Baker. But it's also a question of Santa Rosa coming to terms with the reality that it's a midsized city, not a small town, according to Klose. Santa Rosa grew from about 168,000 people in 2010 to 176,000 in 2023, and is projected to grow to 204,000 by 2030, according to the Association of Bay Area Governments. It's the largest city between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Oregon border. Santa Rosa isn't much smaller, in population, than cities like Providence, R.I., or Fort Lauderdale, Fla. And it is about the same size as Eugene, Ore. and Shreveport, La. 'All these cities that are our size or slightly bigger, they have real skylines,' Klose said. 'Santa Rosa has been a little stuck in the past, but it's kind of time for us to grow up.' Santa Rosa Metro Chamber CEO Ananda Sweet said there is county-wide support for growing downtown Santa Rosa, but that it's been hard to attract capital in a post-pandemic world with high interest rates and rising construction costs. The chamber has established a housing trust fund that helps groups with pre-development costs that conventional lenders don't typically cover. The fund is focused on low- and moderate-income housing, and has already provided a loan to Phoenix Development, which is converting two under-utilized bank buildings on B Street to 72 workforce units. Sweet said downtown Santa Rosa 'has so much potential that we are on the cusp of capitalizing on.' 'Even our members who don't do business in Santa Rosa really care about a thriving downtown,' Sweet said. 'Seeing Felix generate so much interest really helps tell the story for other developers and employers of what is possible downtown.' For Baker, who also designed the pioneering Hotel Healdsburg in that city's downtown, Felix is the culmination of a decade of work. He was initially hired by previous property owners on earlier iterations of the project that stalled out several times. He said downtown Santa Rosa 'has always been on the verge of happening but never quite does.' Maybe that is changing, he said. To celebrate the Felix he also made a ceramic sculpture for the lobby, a seven-foot totem of giant stacked seed pods. 'Thinking about the fertile Sonoma area, we wanted to reflect ideas around seeds — optimistic, vergevital, burgeoning, putting down roots and supporting new growth,' he said.
Business Journals
13-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Weingart Center opens L.A.'s largest supportive housing project
Story Highlights Los Angeles' largest permanent supportive housing project opens downtown. 600 San Pedro adds 302 furnished units for unhoused individuals. Project includes amenities promoting residents' well-being and healing. The largest permanent supportive housing project in Los Angeles has opened downtown. The 17-story residential mixed-use building, 600 San Pedro, adds 302 units of permanent supportive housing to Skid Row. Owned and operated by Weingart Center, the project was developed in partnership with Related California. The studio apartments are fully furnished with appliances, furniture and air conditioning. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events Built on a former parking lot, 600 San Pedro is the largest fully permanent supportive housing development in Los Angeles, creating homes for previously unhoused individuals. Weingart Center and Relative broke ground on the development in October 2023. expand A bedroom at 600 San Pedro overlooks downtown Los Angeles. Courtesy of Related California The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles awarded Weingart Center nearly 300 housing vouchers valued at $194 million in housing assistance payments for the project, according to HACLA's President and CEO Lourdes Castro Ramirez. 'Rental assistance programs are not just housing solutions,' she said in a statement. 'They are lifelines that open doors and unlock opportunity, stability and hope for thousands of Angelenos, and must continue to be fully funded.' In designing the building, the developers were mindful of potential tenants' mental-health needs. The project incorporates physical spaces for the residents that promote safety, well-being and healing, including a community garden, career center, library, fitness area, pet-relief area and on-site laundry facilities. expand The lobby at 600 San Pedro. Courtesy of Related California Former state Senator Kevin Murray, who now serves as president and CEO of the Weingart Center, said the project 'not only provides shelter but also a foundation for healing and growth, showing our community that everyone deserves a safe place to call home.' Weingart Center and Related California are also working on Alveare, a mixed-use affordable housing project in downtown's South Park neighborhood. When complete, the project will bring family, senior and permanent supportive housing to the area, plus retail spaces and a public park. Weingart Center, providing interim and permanent supportive housing solutions throughout Greater Los Angeles, offers comprehensive services to its residents such as individualized on-site case management, mental/physical health care, substance-use services, employment-training assistance and educational support, among others. expand The 600 San Pedro project incorporates physical spaces for the residents that promote safety, well-being and healing, including kitchens, a community garden, career center, library and fitness area. Courtesy of Related California Sign up for Business First's free daily newsletter to receive the latest business news impacting Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Times
07-03-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Redevelopment plan to be submitted for Neighborhood Congregational Church site in Laguna Beach
After years of discussion surrounding what the future of the Neighborhood Congregational Church in Laguna Beach could look like, those close to the transformational project say they are prepared to submit an application for entitlements to the city. The planned mixed-use development would put a 44-unit affordable housing complex on the lot, which represents a reduction of nearly 40% from the original plan for 72 units. There will also be a new spiritual center of approximately 7,000 square feet and a subterranean parking structure. Bill Witte, the chairman and chief executive of Related California, said the project would likely be submitted to the city on Monday under the guidelines of California Senate Bill 4, legislation enacted in 2023 that streamlines housing development on certain sites, such as churches, and exempts them from environmental review. 'This applies to sites owned by either religious or educational institutions and that must be 100% affordable housing,' Witte said of the legislation. 'It basically calls for an approval process to take place within 90 days of submission of a complete entitlement package.' Critics of the project had expressed concerns over neighborhood compatibility. Keith Labus, the principal architect with KTGY, said the project was downsized in response to the community's input. 'After receiving feedback from the community, and specifically our adjacent neighbors through a combination of both public and private meetings, we arrived at this final design, which is 44 units and has removed the [earlier proposed] entire third floor of the residential footprint of the building,' Labus said. 'Also, to visually kind of reduce the scale of the building further, we've used three distinct architectural styles, so the building will appear to be three separate smaller developments.' The spiritual center will be given 'modern character,' Labus said, while a 'beach cottage style' has been planned for the residential building. Community outreach has included a hand-delivered letter to 60 neighbors, a project website, and more than a dozen meetings with neighbors and community groups. More than 200 people attended a community meeting on Oct. 7 after notice was given to households within 500 feet of the project. There would be one parking space per unit, plus spots for on-site management, Witte said. An additional 41 spaces on the premises could be sold to the city for permanently owned public parking. The target household income levels fall between $33,000 and $117,000, depending on family size, while rents will range from $800 to $2,500. Priority access to the affordable residential units would be given to people who work in Laguna Beach. Per the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, Laguna Beach must plan for 394 additional housing units in the current housing cycle that ends in 2029. 'From a planning point of view, it's almost a caricature of a perfect location because it's across the street from a supermarket, it's two blocks from the ocean, you can walk everywhere in town,' Witte said. 'The high school is nearby, also in walking distance. … To compete for these tax credits, you have to pass a threshold test of proximity to amenities.' If an application for tax credits is successful following the city's approval process, Witte said it is 'plausible' that construction could begin in April 2026. 'Most of the affordable housing in California, if not all, is funded with the help of low-income housing tax credits, which are administered by the state and for which there are competitive application processes a couple times a year,' Witte said. 'Tax credits would provide, by far, the biggest source of funds to build the affordable housing. In order to compete as a project eligible for families, at least half the units must have two- and three-bedroom units. Family projects are slightly easier to gain access to funding for than just senior projects.' Pastor Rodrick Echols of the Neighborhood Congregational Church said 'declining membership, dwindling financial resources, and aging structures' on the campus drove the institution to think about its future. Echols said church membership had three goals: to remain a spiritual community in Laguna Beach, to provide a community benefit that meets a need and to be financially stable. 'We've had this dream to create a place … in Laguna Beach focused on love and justice while also promoting economic equity,' Echols said. 'That commitment to economic equity placed us at a really interesting space, an ability even, to look at affordable housing with clear eyes, to see the need and to see how we might be able to help fulfill that need right here in our town. 'Laguna Beach needs more affordable housing, and it needs that housing for seniors, artists and many others who work low-wage jobs here in town.' Echols added that the spiritual center will not only allow for continued meetings of the congregation, but it will also provide greater flexibility for community groups looking to put on events. Alice Court, a 27-unit senior affordable housing development at 450 Glenneyre Street, was also a Related California project. It was completed in 2004.
