Original Article: North County Daily Star
On November 5th, 2020, Tideline Partners held the groundbreaking ceremony for a transformative housing project in Vista. (San Diego, CA). The 5-story, 42-unit apartment project was designed to support the growth of Vista’s emerging Downtown Arts and Culture District. The building will feature a 60 foot tall mural, green plant walls, a rooftop deck, electrified all weather bike lockers, and loft units with large functional balconies. Lev Gershman, Founder and Managing Partner of Tideline Partners and Chris Schoeneck, Director of Development at Tideline Partners are leading the development and construction of the project.
The celebration was hosted by the adjacent 508 Tavern tap house with great food and local live music. Residents, local business owners, and artists along with City staff and elected officials were in attendance including Mayor Judy Ritter and some of the current and past City Council members. Ceremonial shovels and art displayed on the construction fence was curated by local art foundation artists led by Vista’s Backfence Society and Oceanside’s Hillside Country Club.
The project will provide much needed housing and encourage walking and biking along the newly improved and beautified Paseo Santa Fe with easy access to entertainment and shopping. As Gershman explains, “we have a housing shortage pushing rents higher to unaffordable levels. We have no choice but to build more and it’s just a matter of where. Locating housing in walking or biking distance to amenities lessens the infrastructure and tax burded. We poured our heart into this project!”
In today’s era of increasingly popular fix-and-flips, quick builds and rapid capital gains, the project stands out with its heavy emphasis on quality and sustainability that stand the test of time. Schoneck elaborates, “Buildings should be built to last and that’s not always the case. Our intention with this project is long term durability, which is the most sustainable. We’re looking at the project through a lens of long term ownership; we want to build something with quality and intention behind it.”
“This isn’t your usual apartment “complex,” Gershman says of the unique project. “The project is designed and curated for individuals, people who march to the beat of their own drum. It won’t be for everybody. We will have a large mural facing into the downtown core. The primary goal of the project is to anchor the Downtown Vista Arts and Culture District. All units will have higher ceilings, lots of natural light and large outdoor terraces. Our average terrace size is 90 square feet – we are trying to create that indoor/outdoor living experience. We will have a rooftop deck with a fire pit and a living plant wall and a ‘Makers Garage’ outfitted with a workbench and tools for the tenants to use to wrench on bikes, assemble furniture, etc… We have 14,000 square feet of landscaping that we are positioning to be seen from the street to beautify the corridor.”
The experience-focused space will include a beautiful, 60-foot tall mural on the downtown-facing wall, a maker garage for residents to use as a workshop, a rooftop deck with a barbeque, firepit, plant wall and sweeping city views, an outdoor community courtyard, bike storage space, oversized balconies, ground floor live-work units and several sustainability features including energy efficient appliances, lighting and air conditioning.
This project will be a critical player in the revitalization of Downtown Vista’s Arts and Culture District, which has been designated as one of Southern California’s Opportunity Zones.
“One of our jobs as civic leaders is to promote and foster the quality of life in the community,” said Vista Mayor Judy Ritter. “We view the Opportunity Zone in Downtown Vista as another tool to do just that. We are excited about the current and future projects within the zone, which will not only help make Downtown Vista a destination, but will also create jobs for our residents and help spur other needed economic development in the region.”
The company plans to finish construction in the first half of 2022.
