VISTA — A proposed 33-unit apartment project on a half-acre site along North Santa Fe Avenue is moving forward following a recommendation of approval from the city’s Planning Commission.
The planned project site at North Santa Fe Avenue and Weston Circle currently features a single-family home and two vacant trailers. The parcel is next door to the Sierra Vista Mobile Home Park and is surrounded by other apartment developments, including Villa Del Norte, Hidden Hills Apartments, and NV Lofts.
Proposed by developer Victor Murillo, the four-story project will include studios and one- and two-bedroom units, with four of the 33 total units deed-restricted for very low-income households (those making 50% or less of the area median income).
The building will feature a modern design with orange, grey, and white as primary colors and materials, including stucco and corrugated metal siding.
Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of the project at their Nov. 4 meeting in a 4-0-1 vote, with commissioner Darcy Thompson absent. Commissioner Lisa De Jesus said while it doesn’t necessarily match the look of other buildings in the area, she likes the appearance of the project.
“I think it’s an attractive project. It’s hard to make anything sort of fit in an infill project without, you know, disturbing the aesthetics,” said Commissioner Lisa De Jesus. “I like that there’s affordable units — we need them.”
Due to the inclusion of affordable units, the project is granted a density bonus of 18.8%, allowing an increase in the existing density of 40 dwelling units per acre to around 62 units per acre.
The density bonus also brings concessions and waivers of local development standards. This includes a decrease in parking requirements, from the 45 spots usually required to just 33 spots, equal to one per unit.
Commissioners expressed some concern about the lack of parking, but recognized that the state density bonus law ties their hands.
“To me, it’s troublesome,” said Commissioner Charles Grimm. “You’ve got a situation where you have one parking space per unit. What’s going to happen is it’s going to spill out into the neighborhood.”
Other concessions and waivers for the project allow reductions in side yard setbacks from 10 feet to 4.6 feet, the driveway aisle from 24 feet to 22 feet, the landscape perimeter from eight feet to between zero and five feet, and the minimum unit size for one-bedroom units from 700 square feet to 545 square feet.
The 33 units will be divided among the top three floors, with 11 units on each level. The first floor will feature covered parking spaces, a lobby, a mail room, and areas for bike storage and trash disposal. Amenities will include an outdoor dog run, a coworking space on the second floor, and roof decks.
Commissioner Bill Martin questioned why the designs showed all of the affordable units grouped in the same part of the building. City staff said that they are working on a regulatory agreement with the developer, which requires the units to be spread throughout the building in compliance with state law.
“We do draft a regulatory agreement that governs the affordability restrictions that go on each of those units, and it requires each of those units to be similar in design as the market-rate units and it does require that they be distributed throughout the project,” said Assistant City Attorney Allegra Frost.
When it comes to materials, the commissioners included a condition for the developer to ensure the metal siding is weatherproof.
The Planning Commission first reviewed the project in 2023, but it was sent back due to concerns about trash access and fire access, both of which have since been resolved, city staff said.
