A proposal for a six-story building in downtown Santa Maria has been approved by the Santa Maria Planning Commission. The building, called the Cook Street Apartments, will be located between the Santa Maria Town Center mall parking structure and Cook Street. The developers, Burt and Mark Fugate, plan to construct a 54,590-square-foot building with 104 apartment units and 2,100 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The project aims to transform downtown Santa Maria and provide much-needed housing in the area.
The design of the building, created by architect Murray Duncan of Santa Barbara, will feature a Spanish/Mission/Revival style and include a decorative tower. Pedestrian bridges will connect the apartment building to the existing parking structure. The apartments will consist of mostly one-bedroom units, but there will also be studio lofts and two-bedroom units. The building will include amenities such as elevators, trash chutes, a community room, an exercise room, and a terrace. Each level will have a laundry facility.
In addition to the apartments, a restaurant space of approximately 2,100 square feet will be created on the ground floor. The developers will need to acquire a 0.25-acre plot of land from the city to complete the project. The city-owned parking structure will be used to fulfill the majority of the parking requirements for the building.
The Cook Street Apartments project is part of a larger effort to revitalize downtown Santa Maria. Two other mixed-use buildings are currently under construction or approved in the area. The Gateway mixed-use project, located at the corner of Main Street and Broadway, will have 18 apartments and retail space. The Alvin Newton Apartments, situated at the corner of Main Street and Broadway, will have 82 apartment units and businesses on the ground level. The former Mervyn’s department store building will also be converted into 104 loft apartments.
The Cook Street Apartments project still needs to negotiate a Disposition and Development Agreement with the city and gain approval from the council. The developers hope that the new building will contribute to the downtown development and provide much-needed housing options for the community.
