New developer takes on Walnut Creek BART apartment project, adding to its big Bay Area pipeline
Walnut Creek continues attracting new housing developments near the city’s BART station.
Next year, Anton DevCo plans to start construction on a 135-unit apartment building and 10,000 square feet of retail two blocks from the station on the site of a current Fuddruckers Restaurant.
The developer snapped up the roughly one-acre, entitled site in October for $9.4 million, according property records. The seller was developer Blake Griggs,a firm that has nearly 800 more apartments in development near the station.
“Anton NoMa is designed to make the most of the location, whether you are commuting to San Francisco or Silicon Valley, or just walking down the street to downtown Walnut Creek,” said Brandon Dinon, director of development for Anton DevCo.
Several other housing developments are in the works around the BART station. Blake Griggs is leasing up the 178-unit Vaya apartments at 1800 Lacassie Ave. across the street from the station.
The developer is also handling the master plan for a transit village at the station. It is building a replacement parking garage to free up surface parking lots where it plans to build 600 new homes, retail space and public plazas that will be completed in phases during the next eight years.
Meanwhile, Address Co., a Walnut Creek-based developer, is wrapping up construction on the 48-unit Riv condo development at 1605 Riviera Ave.
Prices started near $500,000 for a 560-square-foot one-bedroom, just under $800,000 for a two-bedroom and $1.7 million for a penthouse.
Housing developers have zeroed in on Walnut Creek because of a combination of access to BART, job centers, a vibrant downtown shopping and entertainment district, good school system and city parks and recreation areas such as Mt. Diablo.
Also, housing prices have climbed steadily in the city to a median sale price of $909,100 and median rent of $2,800 per month, according to real estate information site Zillow.
The new housing developments are sprinkled in next to existing office complexes and retail such as a Target store.
Proximity to jobs not just in San Francisco, but also Oakland and Walnut Creek, was also an appealing factor, Dinon said.
Amenities in the project include a rooftop lounge, views of Mt. Diablo, community room with a kitchen, gym, courtyard with a pool, spa, barbecue area and firepit. A rooftop lounge will offer views spanning the Diablo Hills.
“Anton NoMa will also offer residents a comfortable, easy place to live,” Dinon said.
With the Walnut Creek project, Anton DevCo has about 1,000 units in its Bay Area pipeline. Other projects include: 394 apartments in Menlo Park that were completed this year, 583 apartments in Milpitas slated for completion in 2019 and 2020, 91 units at 295 29th St. in Oakland in development, and 144 units under construction in Mountain View that will be complete in 2019.
The project at 1910 N. Main St., was designed by Architecture Design Collaborative of Laguna Hills and will feature homes ranging from studio, one-, and two-bedrooms that will hit the market in 2021.
The Sacramento-based firm is a reincarnation of St. Anton Partners. Founder Steve Eggert wanted to create a new company to focus mostly on mixed-use, mixed-income transit-oriented Bay Area apartment communities.
“Every different market we’re looking in, proximity to transit is key,” Dinon said. “Residents are commuting via BART. They want to live in a walkable community.”