171 new flats rising in central Napa

Daily SF NewsApril 7, 2023

0 12 4 minutes read

Take a look at the construction of the new apartment complex in Napa: SoCo Napa. It is located in Central and Soscol in Napa. Most units will be off the shelf.

Jennifer Huffman, Register

A “Maker” workspace. A bicycle “kitchen”. A community garden, lounge, pool, waterfall, two exercise areas, game room and even a pet spa.

These are some of the amenities new residents of SoCo Napa Apartments can choose from in the 15-acre complex.

A total of 171 units are currently under construction across seven buildings in downtown Napa. As of last week, the hammering and building work is about 60% complete, said Kevin Meier, site manager at Cresleigh Homes. The first apartments are to be rented by the end of May.

A proposed apartment complex in central Napa would offer not only 172 rental units, but also a dozen two-wheeler rentals.

Located at 725 and 737 Central St., the SoCo Napa project was originally intended to be developed by Napan Wayne O’Connell and partners.

He planned to name it Pietro Place in honor of his grandfather, Pietro Lepera, an immigrant from Italy, O’Connell said in 2015.

However, in 2016, O’Connell sold the project to builder and developer Cresleigh Homes.

The new SoCo name was inspired by nearby Soscol Avenue, said Abigail Buffaloe of Cresleigh Homes.

During a tour last week, Buffaloe noted that Cresleigh isn’t new to Napa. With offices in Roseville and San Francisco, the company also owns and operates the Towpath Village condominium complex in Napa on Old Soscol Way.

Large and buildable lots are becoming increasingly scarce in Napa, and another is on the way to being filled by a new condominium complex.

“We’ve been in the neighborhood,” Buffaloe said. Cresleigh Homes is “really drawn to populating residential areas, (and) we just fell in love with the project.”

Napa is “such a unique community,” she said. It’s close to the larger Bay Area, “You’ve got a bustling downtown, art and music, and great restaurants.” (all) in the “world-class” Napa Valley.

“And we really want to share that with our residents and give them a new place to call home.”

The unit could potentially be sold at some point in the future, but for now they will be leased at market rates, Buffaloe said.

That ranges from about $2,500 per month for a one-bedroom unit to $3,000 for a two-bedroom unit.

Because SoCo uses a dynamic pricing engine, lease rates can actually fluctuate on a weekly or even daily basis. It all depends on supply and demand in the market, Buffaloe said.

A condominium complex has permission to fill one of Napa’s last major land blocks near downtown.

However, a total of 12 units are rented out to eligible residents at “affordable” rates. Depending on income and household size, those units could start at about $1,250 a month, Buffaloe said.

Almost half of the units have one bedroom; the other half, two. The complex does not have studios or three bedroom units. A total of 305 parking spaces are planned, including 109 garage parking spaces.

The seven residential buildings are each in different construction phases. For example, the building next to Central Avenue is about 90 percent complete, Meier said. Appliances, countertops and other surfaces are currently being installed. At the other end of the spectrum, part of the complex on Soscol Avenue will be fitted with heating and plumbing. The building is about 30% complete, Meier said.

That could happen around the first quarter of 2024, Buffaloe said.

“It will be a nice project,” adds Meier.

Guided tours are not yet available, but see Cresleigh.com for information on the apartments.