The proposal would add 69 apartments and various resident amenities at the southeast corner of Eighth and Wilson streets, across from the existing Pullmandevelopment.
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Plans have been submitted for the final phase of the Pullman apartments on Wilson Street between Eighth and Ninth streets in Santa Rosa and call for 69 unitsacross from the existing development. (City of Santa Rosa)
Plans are shaping up for the final phase of one of Santa Rosa’s first major housing projects to go up along the SMART rail line.
First proposed a decade ago at the site of a former lumber yard, the Pullman apartments were the first transit-oriented development to move forward under new zoning rules encouraging higher density housing in the area, in Santa Rosa’s West End neighborhood bordering RailroadSquare.
Construction began more than three years ago on the initial 74 units, and crews are now completing final work on the 40-unit second phase.
The third phase of the Pullman apartments calls for 69 apartments and various amenities at the southeast corner of Eighth and Wilson streets.
It’s across the street from existing development that spans an entire city block and will bring the total number of units at Pullman to 183.
Developer Loren Brueggemann, president and co-owner of Phoenix Development Co., said it was exciting to reach this stage of a project that has been in the works for a decade.
“It’s a great feeling to finally see this vision all come to fruition,” Brueggemann said.
Community members can get a first look at the plans during the Design Review Board meeting at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Santa Rosa City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Ave. Residents can provide comments on the proposal in person, but no comments will be taken online.
The meeting will provide the board an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the overall concept, layout and design but no formal action will be taken.
The six-story building will feature units ranging in size from 300 to 620 square feet. There will be 10 studios, 48 one-bedroom apartments and 11 two-bedroom apartments.
Rents are expected to be market rate but Brueggemann said the smaller footprint will help keep the price point down, targeting the local workforce.
A resident lobby, mail room, fitness center and long-term bike storage is planned on the ground floor, and each of the other floors will feature an amenity area with multimedia rooms and a game room, according to project plans.
Residents also will have access to the grill and pool, dog run and other features in the other Pullman buildings.
Just over 90 surface parking spaces that will serve all Pullman residents are slated for a parcel north of the planned apartments.
The proposal appears to be slightly smaller in scope than what was proposed during initial conversations with city planning officials last summer. Those plans called for 87 apartments and around 130 parking spaces, city records show.
An existing commercial warehouse separating the new apartments and planned parking lot will remain and is not part of the project.
Phoenix Development plans to make improvements along the east side of Wilson Street, including burying overhead utility lines and installing new curbs and sidewalks, as part of the project.
The project has helped transform an area of Santa Rosa’s West End neighborhood and one of the main thoroughfares leading into RailroadSquare.
Plans for the Pullman apartments at the site of the former Laws and Yaeger Lumber Yard were first proposed back in 2014 and
construction on the first phase that includes 74 units got underway in March 2021.
Construction crews are putting the final touches on 40 apartments that are part of a second phase and leasing is expected to start next week for those units, Brueggemann said.
After Thursday’s hearing, plans for the final phase will go before the city’s Zoning Administrator for approval, potentially in late September, Brueggemann said.
He anticipates submitting a building permit application in October with the goal of starting construction in early 2025. Construction is estimated to be completed in spring 2026.
You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @paulinapineda22.