Parkside Apartments opened in December at 214 1st Ave. in the Bakersfield suburb of Delano, California, and the 40-unit complex is the first affordable housing development completed in the city in nearly a decade. The project was awarded a 2023 CoStar Impact Award by an independent panel of industry professionals within the market.
The Housing Authority of Kern County developed the project in response to a growing need for affordable housing in a region that has a large contingent of workers serving the region’s burgeoning agriculture industry. Apartments at Parkside are being rented primarily to households making 60% or less of the regional median income, and officials said 12 of the units were set aside specifically to be rented by farm workers.
Delano is Kern County’s second-largest city, with a population of more than 54,000, and local officials were looking to serve residents who live outside of Bakersfield with apartments priced well below market rates with monthly rents between $400 and $900.
“We know there are many families in Delano that need quality affordable housing and are pleased to help meet this need with the development of Parkside Apartments,” Stephen Pelz, executive director of the Kern County housing authority, said at the project’s groundbreaking in April 2021.
The gated complex is adjacent to a planned new park being developed by the city of Delano, with on-site amenities including a meeting room, playground, courtyard, picnic area and basketball court.
About the project: The gated, 40-unit complex was completed in December with units restricted to residents with household incomes at or below 60% of the region’s median income. The garden-style development spans 5 acres and includes energy-efficient, one- to three-bedroom units in five two-story buildings.
What the judges said: “Growth and modernization of the surrounding smaller communities in Kern County is needed to elevate the county as a whole,” said judge Matthew Starr, principal at brokerage ASU Commercial. “Bakersfield has been the primary beneficiary of growth in Kern County and I am excited to see another community within the county experience new growth and development.”
They made it happen: The project was developed and is managed by the Housing Authority of Kern County. Funding came from the housing authority, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Bank of America and the California Community Reinvestment Corp.