Plans are underway for a five-story residential infill at 6115 Potrero Avenue in El Cerrito, Contra Costa County. The development will replace a single-story commercial structure on a narrow parcel with 63 homes above retail, with groundbreaking expected as early as this year. Potrero Partners LLC, led by Coldwell Banker realtor Kim Marienthal, is listed as the project sponsor.
6115 Potrero Avenue view from south, rendering Studio KDA
6115 Potrero Avenue retail seating, rendering Studio KDA
The 65-foot tall structure will yield 63,890 square feet, with 40,560 square feet for housing, 6,220 square feet for commercial retail, and 4,110 square feet for the 23-car garage. The commercial space is expected to create a restaurant and brew bar. Additional parking will be included for 101 bicycles, a decision that can promote the area’s public transit network and reduction congestion. Unit sizes will vary with 25 one-bedrooms, 35 two-bedrooms, and three three-bedroom homes. The developer has opted not to include affordable housing on-site. An in-lieu fee will be paid to the city to fund the construction of affordable housing elsewhere.
6115 Potrero Avenue southwest view from Potrero Avenue, rendering Studio KDA
6115 Potrero Avenue seen along San Pablo, rendering Studio KDA
6115 Potrero Avenue, facade design by Studio KDA
Studio KDA is responsible for the design. The facade treatment will split two distinct styles, with a white and plain grey exterior facing Potrero Avenue and textured vertical-louver facades facing San Pablo Avenue. Exterior materials include cement plaster, wood-look panels, and Hardie Panel vertical siding.
BKF is consulting on civil engineering, and IDA is working on structural engineering. Groundworks Office is the landscape architect. The open space will include sidewalk decoration, a second-floor courtyard for residents, and a rooftop terrace looking over San Pablo Avenue.
6115 Potrero Avenue, landscaping map by Groundworks Office
El Cerrito, a Spanish name meaning ‘The Little Hill,’ is a small, relatively dense town along the bayside of Contra Costa County, nestled between Richmond, Kensington, and Albany in Alameda County. The 0.4-acre property is less than ten minutes from the El Cerrito Del Norte BART Station on foot.
6115 Potrero Avenue, image via Google Satellite with property outlined by YIMBY
The El Cerrito Del North is the northernmost of two BART stations in town. El Cerrito Plaza, closer to Albany, is the subject of a redevelopment plan by Holliday Development and Related Companies for the transit agency. The mixed-use plan could create around 800 homes beside a park and a potential new public library.
When reached for comment, the project owner, Marienthal, told YIMBY, “We are negotiating with the City on some changes to our plans before we move forward to obtain the building permit… If all goes well, we hope to break ground later this year, but we don’t know exactly when.”
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Wrapped warmly around a gas station.🤣
The developer opting not to include affordable housing on-site is the reason there are so many homeless people on the street, shame on the City of El Cerritos for allowing this😡