1st Phase of SoCal Project Wraps

MBK Rental Living and Haseko Corp. have completed the first phase of Solana at Duarte Station, a multifamily development in Duarte, Calif. Located at 1750 Fasana Rd., the project is a transit-oriented development near the City of Hope Metro Gold Line Station.

The first phase delivered 98 units as well as an eight-story parking structure. The units are now open to residents.

Solana at Duarte Station offers studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, and four-bedroom co-living apartments with each bedroom including its own personal kitchenette. The second phase, set to be completed in April, will introduce an additional 109 units. The last 85 units, coming online in the third and final phase, will wrap up a total of 292 units on the 3.4-acre site.

Common amenities in the first phase include a fitness center, yoga studio and the first courtyard, which includes a barbecue, pizza oven, outdoor seating and activities like table tennis. There are shared and semi-private coworking spaces, a coffee bar, a gaming area and an indoor dog lounge.

The next phase will mark the opening of the property’s pool, clubroom and sauna. The final outdoor courtyard will open in May, and it too will have a barbecue and seating area. Other outdoor-centric amenities will include an entertainment alleyway for food trucks and outdoor events, a linear park spanning the entire length of the property, and a dog park. 

The developers tasked R.D. Olson Construction as the general contractor on the development. Other partners participating in the project include TCA Architects, KHR Associates for civil engineering, MJS Landscape as the landscape architect, and Design-Art LLC for interior design.

“Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any significant challenges during construction,” Bill Wilhelm, president of R.D. Olson Construction, told Multi-Housing News. “That said, recent wildfires in nearby Pasadena have contributed to the growing housing shortage. Solana at Duarte provides a similar living environment to Pasadena, with its proximity to the San Gabriel Mountains and similar suburban L.A. atmosphere.”

The project is adjacent to Esperanza at Duarte Station, another development R.D. Olson Construction completed for MBK Rental Living. Both projects were constructed from wood and steel, with an exterior of stucco, aluminum composite material panels, metal siding and brick veneer.

The ever popular TOD

Transit-oriented development, a strategy that clusters jobs, housing, services and amenities around public transport stations, tends to impact nearby property values in a positive way, according to a report by the American Public Transportation Association and the National Association of Realtors.

Residential properties within a half-mile of public transit options—heavy rail, light rail, commuter rail and bus rapid transit—had a 4 to 24 percent higher median sale price between 2012 and 2016, according to the report. Commercial property values also saw a median sales price per square foot increase by between 5 to 42 percent in some, but not all, of the areas studied.

Transit-oriented developments also help concentrate jobs within relatively small areas, which boosts a city’s competitiveness, according to the World Bank, citing studies that have shown that doubling job density increases economic productivity by 5 to 10 percent.