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Council approves design review for 8th Street apartment project; owner pledges no displacement of current tenants
Summary
Council approved a design review permit for the 8th Street Apartments, a project adding seven units to an existing six-unit property at 4646 8th Street. The developer said existing tenants will not be displaced; staff required exterior improvements and common open space.
The Guadalupe City Council on Jan. 28 adopted Resolution 2025-07 approving Design Review Permit 2024-057-DR for the 8th Street Apartments, a project that will add seven new units to an existing six-unit apartment site at 4646 8th Street.
Planner Bill Scott summarized the project and said the site is a 0.75-acre parcel in the R-3 high-density residential zone. The proposal adds three ground-floor units and four upper-floor units over parking, bringing the total on the parcel to 13 units. Scott said the project provides 29 parking spaces (nine covered) which meets the city’s parking requirements, and that landscaping coverage exceeds the 10% requirement. He noted the private yards for three ground-floor units are slightly smaller than the code’s 100-square-foot recommendation (about 72 sq ft each), but staff judged the shortfall acceptable because the project provides common outdoor areas.
Project architect Greg Rivera and owner Tina Mukai described the project as an exterior-focused upgrade intended to preserve rental stock and avoid displacing current tenants. Rivera said the work will add paved parking, landscaping, picnic and seating areas, new lighting and fences and exterior paint and that the owner intends to preserve the existing occupants rather than pursuing demolition and interior renovations that would require relocation.
Council members asked about the turnaround at the rear of the property and about whether the existing tenants will have access to new common areas and parking. Scott and the design team confirmed existing tenants will be permitted to use the new common open space and parking; Scott said the turnaround is intended for emergency egress and will be refined at building-permit review.
Council member Villegas moved to adopt the resolution; Council member Velez seconded. The roll-call vote recorded ayes from Velez, Villegas, Hernandez and Mayor Julian. The motion passed.
Ending: The council approved the design review permit and environmental Class 32 infill exemption; conditions require standard design-review findings, site-maintenance obligations and refinement of fence and turnaround details at the building-permit stage.
