A Carmel Mountain Ranch apartment project is being built with an unusual twist – it’s on top of what had been a park-and-ride parking garage.
Built by Alliance Development Services, based in Poway, the $20 million Alante will have four stories of apartments atop the garage, which will be used for tenant parking.
President
Alliance Development Services
“It’s very unusual, but we’re making it work,” said Greg LaMarca, president of Alliance Development.
“The tricky thing about that project was, it was extremely difficult to figure out how to construct it. What we’re doing is we’re punching up through the existing structure and we’re kind of building around it and adding an elevator core to it,” LaMarca said. “There’s probably not a lot of people that would take on a project like that, but we’re not afraid of the challenge.”
The project will have 50 apartments – 28 one-bedroom apartments and 22 two-bedroom apartments, each of which has a balcony. The apartments range from 585 square feet to 906 square feet.
LaMarca said that 15 of the apartments will be earmarked for low-income and very low-income families as defined by federal guidelines, “making it good for the community.”
Monthly rents will range from $1,560 for a one-bedroom apartment earmarked for a very low-income tenant to $3,450 for a two-bedroom market rate apartment.
Amenities include a common coworking space with a kitchenette on the second level, motorcycle and bicycle storage in the garage, elevator service from the apartments to the garage, and an open terrace with a barbecue.
Construction is due for completion in November 2024.
Alante stands out not only for its unusual construction, but there are few other apartment projects nearby.
“There’s been no new apartments to speak of in that area,” LaMarca said. “That area doesn’t have a lot of room for development.”
With Alante, LaMarca said he also wanted to bring a different look to the area, most of which has a 1980s feel with terra cotta tile roofs and stucco exteriors.
“We’re going to have a unique offering to people who maybe want something a little bit cooler,” LaMarca said.
Some Urban Flair for Vista
Alliance Development also is building a more conventional 60-unit apartment complex on a 1.26-acre site in Vista at 1559 North Santa Fe Ave. – NV Lofts – with six studio apartments, 36 one-bedroom apartments, and 18 two-bedroom apartments.
“It’s kind of on the north side of North Santa Fe where there’s a vibrant food scene going on there. It’s a very urban project in the middle of a suburban area, so it separates itself in that regard,” LaMarca said. “We feel that that submarket is really coming toward us. It’s a very cool urban structure for a market that’s still maturing. You might say we’re a little early on the design for that submarket.”
The $25 million NV Lofts will have four levels of wood frame structure atop a concrete podium, which is a typical method of construction for projects of its size.
The project is designed around a central courtyard and the apartments will range from 441 square feet to 966 square feet with construction targeted for completion in September.
Monthly rents will range from $1,450 for a one-bedroom apartment for a very low-income tenant to $2,750 for a two-bedroom market rate apartment.
Like Alante, NV Lofts will have built-in coworking space.
“Most of the stuff we’re doing, we’re kind of leaning into the ability to live and work,” LaMarca said. “Since the pandemic, we think that live-work space is important.”
Stephen Dalton Architects designed Alante and NV Lofts.
Alliance Development Services
Founded: 2008
CEO: Greg LaMarca
Headquarters: Poway
Business: Infill development
Employees: 10
Website: www.all-dev.com
Contact: glamarca@global.net
Notable: The company focuses on multifamily developments in San Diego County.
