More housing options could soon be on the way for prospective renters and buyers in town as plans to build more apartments and homes have been submitted to the City of Turlock.
In addition to plans already under review for an apartment complex on 20th Century Boulevard and approved blueprints for a gated community on 5th Street, developers are clamoring to take advantage of two more infill properties located on the north side of town. A proposal for an apartment complex on the corner of Monte Vista Avenue and North Walnut Road was received by the City last month, as were plans for a 32-home subdivision at the dead end of Crowell Road.
Florsheim Homes, which is developing the 5th Street gated community and also constructed the Rose Verde subdivision near Monte Vista Crossings, is hoping to subdivide the 6.5-acre parcel located at 4510 Crowell Rd. into 32 lots varying in size from 5,340 to 9,264 square feet.
While the site is currently home to Light of Christ Lutheran Church, which hosted a popular light show this past Christmas, the existing structure and other features of the lot will be demolished to make way for the homes, if approved. The church is still the property owner, according to the application, and a public hearing for the project will be held on Aug. 5.
If Florsheim is able to stick to the proposed construction schedule, the homes will be built beginning in May 2022 and completed by early 2023.
The new builds come amid a housing shortage in California, which as recently as 2018 was ranked 49th in the United States when it came to housing per capita. Chris Hawke, who is hoping to develop the 348-unit apartment complex on Monte Vista Avenue, said that Turlock is in need of more housing and is also involved with the Fairbanks Ranch homes being built on Tuolumne Road near Denair.
While Hawke said both student housing and affordable housing models were considered for the proposed apartment complex, the project will consist of market-value apartments which he envisions being rented out by Stanislaus State employees, students and a mix of other community members.
“We think it’s an exciting location just because of its proximity to the university,” Hawke said.
According to the project application, the apartment complex will consist of 12 three-story buildings with patios on the first floor and balconies on the second and third. Hawke said that the number of units, which is proposed at 348, could change as the process moves along.
Should the apartment complex be approved later this year, he expects construction to be complete on the project by 2023, as long as inflated labor and product shortages don’t interfere. There is not yet a public hearing date scheduled for the project.
“I think there has been very little new apartment development in the city of Turlock, so it’s an opportunity for us to bring on a fairly large-sized project of apartments into the community,” Hawke said.
