Architect Ron Vrilakas, designer of more than a half-dozen housing, dining and retail projects in midtown, has turned his attention to Oak Park. Vrilakas and partner Skip Rosenbloom are finishing up work on the Fourth Avenue Lofts, 10 live-work and loft housing units just off Broadway at Fourth Avenue and 35th Street -- along what once was Oak Park's bustling commercial corridor.
The two-story units range in size from 1,200 to 1,400 square feet, and are priced from the low to mid-$300,000s. The project cost about $3 million to build; the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency provided a $1 million subsidy.
Vrilakas said this small development of ownership housing -- on a street lined with public housing -- is precursor to a bigger mixed-use project with retail downstairs and housing and office space upstairs that he and Rosenbloom hope to do nearby. SHRA recently selected the pair to develop two half-blocks of land the agency owns along Broadway.
Vrilakas said he is talking with former NBA star Kevin Johnson about working together to incorporate the two long-dormant blocks controlled by Johnson's St. HOPE Development. "We're hoping to have a joint venture where we can develop four blocks of Broadway all at one time."
The Fourth Avenue Lofts are around the corner from the 40 Acres commercial complex developed by St. HOPE, which includes Starbucks, Underground Books, 40 Acres Art Gallery, Guild Theater and Uncle Jed's Cut Hut.
Johnson's complex has emerged as a community center in the western entryway to Oak Park, an area that also includes such newcomers as the Bike Kitchen and the Naked Coffee roasting operation. "I like to tell people that Oak Park is the next midtown," Vrilakas said. "There's an earthy, bohemian but still optimistic feel about this part of the neighborhood." Years ago, 35th Street was the retail heart of Sacramento's oldest suburb, but many of the commercial buildings were scrapped long ago and replaced with public housing.
A few historic brick buildings remain, however, and Vrilakas said he has tried to echo their design in the brick facade and cornices of his project. Inside, the interiors are contemporary, with steel stair railings, wood floors and open living spaces. Loft units feature roll-up metal and glass doors leading to private courtyards in back of the units. "We felt that the only way we were going to sell in Oak Park was to build in a lot of quality," Vrilakas said. "If this same unit were in midtown, it would probably cost $500,000."
Early interest in the project is coming mainly from architects and designers. Interior designer Rebecca Keehner, 33, plans to move into one of the loft units with her boyfriend, a waiter at Mason's restaurant. Keehner said she and her boyfriend paint, and it's getting a little crowded in their 400-square-foot midtown studio apartment. "The quality of these is excellent," she said of the project. "I like the roll-up door, I like the floor plan, I like the openness."
City Councilwoman Lauren Hammond said she's happy to see a long empty lot in her district filled. "That was a site where we were going to put two or three different things, and every developer backed out," she said. During the recent housing boom, Oak Park attracted considerable interest among real estate investors and people looking for a more affordable alternative to other established neighborhoods near downtown. "Our homeownership rate has improved dramatically," Hammond said. "When I was first elected (in 1997), it was 87 percent rental. Now it's closer to 65."
Since the housing market fell into its slump, foreclosures have produced boarded-up homes in some parts of Oak Park and other city neighborhoods. Vrilakas isn't sure what to expect. He and Rosenbloom have
Source: sacbee.com