New apartments slated for North McDowell Boulevard

The 134-unit apartment complex, dubbed ‘The Haven,’ will consist of five 3-story buildings at Rainier and McDowell.|

Petaluma’s Deer Creek Village shopping center on the city’s east side will soon be neighbor to a new luxury apartment community, with construction expected to begin this year and be completed by 2024.

The 134-unit apartment complex dubbed “The Haven,” located at 429 N. McDowell Blvd., will consist of five 3-story buildings and feature underground parking. All buildings will be solar-powered, as the city continues its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by the year 2030.

“We are excited to work with the city of Petaluma and be a part of their tremendous growth,” said Ken McCarren, president of MBK Rental Living, in an emailed press release. “We look forward to bringing our eco-friendly stamp to the area with the use of EV chargers, solar panels, drought-resistant landscaping and so much more.”

The apartments will be the final piece to a major shopping center development originally approved in 2012. Deer Creek Village is currently home to Friedman’s Home Improvement, City Sports Club, Mary’s Pizza Shack, Jamba Juice and more.

The apartments will be located at the eastern entrance, on an empty 4.7-acre lot near the Deer Creek Village dog park.

The project was originally pursued by West Coast developer Merlone Geier Partners, but has since been acquired by the Irvine-based real estate company MBK Rental Living.

The buildings will include one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging from 720 to 1,202 square feet. The Haven hopes to welcome its first residents in the summer of 2024.

Price ranges for the rental units have not been announced yet. An online search of luxury apartment listings in Petaluma found nothing available under $2,000 a month, even for a one-bedroom unit. Most units were significantly higher.

Planned amenities at The Haven include Spanish-style interior design and outdoor living spaces with recreational features and views overlooking Lynch Creek. The complex’s “club room” will offer residents a fireplace lounge, pool table, semi-private co-working pods and a common kitchen area.

Brian Oh, Petaluma’s director of community development, also cited the apartments’ proximity to nearby transportation options, which he said will be helpful in encouraging residents to use other means of transportation besides driving a car.

“The site is near the Lynch Creek Trail which provides a valuable non-vehicular crosstown connection, and is near existing bus service along the North McDowell corridor,” Oh said. “The site is also within walking distance to Lucchesi Park, which is a key community hub in the neighborhood.”

The residential portion of the Deer Creek project was ultimately approved by the Planning Commission in October 2019 after the proposal was updated to include more eco-friendly features. The commission had turned down an earlier project version in May of that year.

The project application was deemed complete before the Dec. 31, 2019 deadline for housing developments to avoid the city’s more current inclusionary policy, which requires 15% of new units be offered at an affordable rate, or for the developer to pay a fee to help offset the creation of affordable housing elsewhere.

“Based on the date of completeness prior to January 2020, the project was grandfathered under our previous inclusionary housing requirement,” Oh said. “Therefore, the project does not include onsite inclusionary units and will instead pay into the housing in-lieu fund.”

Amelia Parreira is a staff writer for the Argus-Courier. She can be reached at amelia.parreira@arguscourier.com or 707-521-5208.

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