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Fertile ground
Builders plan thousands of new homes in Panama Lane area
| Saturday, Jun 9 2007 5:35 PM
Last Updated: Saturday, Jun 9 2007 8:45 PM
Take a drive west on Panama Lane, and you'll notice construction. Lots of it.
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Jacques LaRochelle, assistant public works director for the city of Bakersfield, walks at a road-widening project on Panama Lane and Buena Vista Road.
The Vazquez family, in their new home north of Panama Lane. From left is mom Angela, Julianna, dad Humberto, Alicia and Michael. Molly the family dog is in the center.
Consider that 89 percent of the city's growth is west of Highway 99, and half of it is in the southwest, said Marc Gauthier, principal planner for the city of Bakersfield.
So what's coming?
It's a mix of mondo-masterplanned communities, Old River Ranch and McAllister Ranch -- with thousands of homes a pop -- and other subdivisions.
Here's what we know so far about some of the developments. And here's the caveat: It may change.
Corky McMillin Cos.
The company has four developments in the southwest.
Casa Azul and Villa Lucia are near Panama Lane and Stine Road; Casa Azul is marketed for first-time homeowners, and Villa Lucia is more for move-up buyers.
Casa Azul would feature 113 homes from 1,516 square feet to 2,147 square feet, and they may sell from the mid-$200,000s.
The subdivision may have its grand opening in February 2008.
Villa Lucia would feature 120 lots; homes would be between 1,861 square feet and 2,725 square feet, and will likely be priced in the high $200,000s.
Further west on Panama, near Old River Road, are the 42nd Street and Park Avenue subdivisions.
Vanessa Wigton, vice president for marketing, said 42nd Street is nearly sold out. About 10 of these entry-level homes were available as of mid-May.
Park Avenue, which McMillin calls a move-up community, has 125 lots. About 76 have closed escrow, and the remaining lots are dirt. Square footage ranges from 2,354 to 3,057, and prices range from $319,990 to $378,990.
Lennar and Centex Homes
Lennar and Centex also have multiple developments in the southwest, but company representatives didn't return phone calls for comment.
Montecito Cos.
The Las Vegas-based company is negotiating with potential builders to construct on about 750 lots along Ashe Road north and south of Taft Highway.
The Mountain Gate subdivision is near the city's proposed Sports Village complex. Homes may be ready for construction by the end of first quarter 2008.
Old River Ranch
This community from Petrini Bakersfield Ventures may have 6,200 single-family and 1,100 multi-family dwellings.
Home prices may range from $190,000 to $450,000.
Multi-family means apartments, town homes, condos and cottages similar to what the company built in the Parkview Cottages at R and 21st streets downtown.
For now, Old River Ranch, which is south of Panama Lane, has what developer Mike Petrini calls paper lots.
Infrastructure -- water and sewer, road improvements -- needs to go in first.
The city Planning Commission approved about 600 homes on several tracts May 17.
But "it will be 18 months before sticks go down into the ground," Petrini said.
Land for Old River Ranch started being bought in October 2003, Petrini said, and he signed a development agreement with the city in fall 2005.
The agreement has a 20-year life span.
Walking and bike trails would be community features that allow residents to cruise around to the city's proposed Sports Village complex on Taft Highway, between Gosford and Ashe roads.
Commercial elements such as grocery stores and dry cleaners are part of the mix, but not big-box retailers.
Retail development would be five years out, he said.
A 33-acre neighborhood commercial center at the northeast corner of McCutchen and Buena Vista roads would be similar to the Marketplace. Petrini said the site would feature more parking. A 19-acre office complex may go in across the street.
Petrini believes metro Bakersfield will add 3,500 to 4,000 lots this year. About 60 percent of those will be in the southwest, he said.
"We try to target that. I don't try to over-deliver to the market, because then that lowers my price," Petrini said.
McAllister Ranch
The masterplanned community from SunCal Cos. may feature 6,000 homes and more than 60 acres of retail space.
SunCal is a master-builder and is moving dirt to prepare the site for home development. That includes installing utilities, roadwork and amenities.
"We then work with builders, usually a variety that construct the neighborhoods," said spokesman Joe Aguirre, adding those conversations are happening now.
Planning for McAllister Ranch began in the early 1990s.
As a family-owned community developer, SunCal is less impacted by short-term market cycles than publicly traded companies, Aguirre said.
Its ownership status "allows us to meet the various challenges of the industry, including market fluctuations, with limited operational effects," he said.
The project has five phases, with between 1,000 and 1,500 homes planned per phase. It's not known when homes might be built, or their selling price.
The community's design features lots of walking and biking paths, and a beach club and lake are planned. Construction is under way on an 18-hole public golf course designed by Greg Norman.
These amenities won't change, Aguirre said.
More than 60 acres of commercial space is planned, but it's not known what types of retail options may be in the development.
10 Section
Developers have proposed 790 single-family homes on eastbound Panama Lane near state Highway 43.
Santa Monica-based real estate developer James Manley hopes to receive City Council approval on the project in late July. If approval is granted, construction may begin in 2009, Manley said.
Manley hopes to have the land annexed into the city by October, and that can take years.
The homes would be between 1,900 square feet and 2,800 square feet. They may feature three and four bedrooms with 21/2 baths to 31/2 baths.
Although prices haven't been set, Manley said he believes the homes may sell for between $250,000 and $400,000.
The development would feature a 6-acre park and access to bike trails that run through McAllister Ranch.
Manley and his father were involved with developing the McAllister Ranch community before it was sold to SunCal, he said.
Road construction
Many years from now, Panama Lane will be a six-lane road three in each direction, like Gosford Road or Ming Avenue.
Here are some by-the-numbers information about known road improvements in Bakersfield:
$6,800: The per-dwelling fee developers pay for single-family homes.
About $700,000: What the 10 Section housing development may contribute toward improving Panama Lane.
About $3.7 million: What SunCal, the master-builder of McAllister Ranch, will pay to widen three miles along the north side of Panama Lane.
$200,000: Amount budgeted for a traffic signal at Old River Road and Panama Lane that may be in place by the spring of 2008.
$1.35 million: Amount budgeted in the the 2007-08 fiscal year to improve the railroad crossing at Panama Lane and Progress Road.
$38 million: What the city has budgeted for 2006-07 transportation projects in metro Bakersfield. Money is allocated to specific projects.
Mid-July: Projected completion date for road widening along Panama Lane between Buena Vista Road and Mountain Vista Drive.
Call this a development success story no small feat if you ask Jacques LaRochelle, the citys assistant public works director.
The old roadway is being torn out, and a landscaped median is being installed. Two developers Lennar and Centex and the city coordinated the work.
Were just trying to coordinate the efforts from a whole bunch of different developers in such a way to minimize disruption and try to get the best product for the traveling public, LaRochelle said.
He thinks Panama from Buena Vista Road east to Highway 99 could be built out in the next three to five years based on proposed developments on either side of Panama Lane.