A development project that started two and half years ago on a desolate dirt field on the corner of W. Monte Vista Avenue and N. Walnut Road in Turlock is finally coming together.

Construction on Monte Vista Apartments, a project that was originally proposed in May 2021 and approved by the City of Turlock Planning Commission in August of that same year, has been in full swing over the past several weeks.

The Monte Vista Apartments at 1525 W. Monte Vista Ave. is a 348-unit multi-family residential project sitting on a 12-acre parcel. There will be 12 three-story buildings approximately 40 feet in height. Each unit will include a patio or balcony area. Onsite improvements include parking, carports, landscaping, a pool and a 900-square-foot children’s outdoor play area. Off-site improvements include curbs, gutters and sidewalks installed along the Monte Vista Avenue and Walnut Road frontages.

“We think it’s an exciting location just because of its proximity to the university,” developer Chris Hawke told the Turlock Journal in 2021. “I think there has been very little new apartment development in the city of Turlock, so it’s an opportunity for us to bring on a fairly large-sized project of apartments into the community.”

To the west of the Monte Vista Apartments project is another dirt field awaiting for construction to begin.

Bright Homes of Modesto will develop 114 single-family dwellings on two adjoining parcels of land at 1601 W. Monte Vista Ave., bordered on the east by Walnut Road, the west by Four Seasons Drive and the north by Snowbird Drive. One is a nine-plus acre lot that had been zoned as community-commercial, while the other is just over three acres and was zoned for medium-density residential use.

Bright Homes has owned the property for decades, and had leased the land to local strawberry growers.

According to Bright Homes COO Loura Erickson, the growers have relocated their operation to Modesto, on the corner of Sisk Road and Pelandale Avenue.

The project was originally greeted by angry residents and more than 40 letters of protest. Most of those comments were focused on concerns about the potential for increased traffic, especially considering the apartment complex across the road currently being built.

A city traffic study found that the development would generate about 1,100 daily vehicle trips — nearly 75 percent fewer trips than if the property were developed commercially.

— Journal reporter Joe Cortez contributed to this report.