It took 25 years to get to this point, but work on the 83-unit Sunsweet Apartments on Depot Street is underway. The work continues the transformation of downtown Morgan Hill and the evolution of Depot Street.
Republic Housing of San Jose and property owners Rocke and Glenda Garcia of Glenrock Development are working together to develop on the approximately two acres of land. Rocke Garcia expects the four-story market-rate apartment complex to be completed within 14 to 15 months.
Like the rest of downtown Morgan Hill, Depot Street continues to evolve. Recently completed projects include The Granary retail district and the condominiums at The Barley Place—both developed by Weston Miles Architects—as well as the city’s new Railroad Park. Established, popular restaurants like Odeum and Jonty’s Vietnamese Eatery keep the neighborhood balanced with commercial options.
The Sunsweet project is bordered by East Third Street on the north, Depot Street to the east and East Fourth Street to the south, next to Orange Theory Fitness and the downtown parking garage on Fourth Street.
Apartment sizes will range from 600 to 1,500 square feet, studio apartments to three-bedroom apartments. The commercial area, which will face Third Street, will feature a restaurant space and a leasing office. Sunsweet will have an underground parking garage with two spaces allowed for each unit except studio apartments, which will be allowed one space each.
“It’s an ideal location for transit access, and it’s in the downtown,” Garcia said. “It’s what the city, and ourselves, have tried to achieve for the past 25 years. It’s taken a long time, but the city is good to work with when you have a project that is beneficial to the whole city.”
City staff hopes that the 83 units at Sunsweet will fill in the need for market-rate apartments in Morgan Hill. As the market for single-family home construction continues to grow, the availability of market-rate apartments has lagged behind.
“Our market rate to rent apartments supply is less than 1 percent, meaning we don’t have enough for our workforce,” Morgan Hill Community Development Director Edith Ramirez said. “This would complement our supply of market-rate housing, helping to provide housing for our young and creative minds.”
While Sunsweet has yet to calculate how much rent will cost, the average rent in Morgan Hill remains among the highest in the county. The website rentcafe.com lists the average monthly rent for all units in Morgan Hill at $2,426.
Amenities at Sunsweet include a swimming pool and a dog wash for pet owners.
