New condo cluster proposed for MacArthur/5th St. West

The busy southeast corner of Fifth Street West and West MacArthur, where a boarded-up farmhouse has stood amid uncropped grasses for over a year, may soon be the site of a 15-condominium project by DeNova Homes of Concord.

The developer has been in study session with the City’s Planning Department about the proposal, which they call Hummingbird Cottages. Other recent DeNova projects in Sonoma include Mockingbird Court just a block away, on Fourth Street West north of MacArthur, and Oliva Apartments on West Spain Street. They also recently proposed a 55-unit project at 19320 Sonoma Highway called the Montaldo Apartments.

When asked about the bird names for the two nearby projects, Trent Sanson of DeNova said, “It’s a theme.” But a local one — none of their other many Bay Area projects have similar avian names. Instead, the smaller size of the new project — reflective of the city “wanting to see smaller homes by design” at an attainable price point — led to the idea of a smaller bird, said Sanson.

If the review and permitting process goes smoothly, he said, the project could break down in mid-2022, and the units available on the market a year later. Sanson would not speculate on the eventual sale price of the 15 condos.

The Hummingbird Cottages development, at 19910 Fifth St. W., would bring three duplexes and nine detached units onto the 1.5-acre lot, a doorstop-shaped parcel with an established drainage ditch on its east side that flows into nearby Fryer Creek. The two buildings on the property, basic wood-frame structures with boarded-up windows, have been vacant for some time. They are both presumed to have been built around 1940 but lack historical significance, according to the cultural resource evaluation.

The initial application is under city staff review, and several documents have already been submitted, including architecture plans, a biology report, historic resource and cultural resource evaluations, and a tentative map. The buildings will include Craftsman, Mission and Farmhouse-style homes, all of them two stories with garages, three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths.

The biological report, by Moore Biological Consultants, states, “Natural habitats surrounding the project site have been entirely replaced by streets, homes and generally highly landscaped areas. The body of the site was formerly an orchard and is a now a periodically mowed field vegetated in upland grass and weed species.” It does note, however, that Anna’s hummingbird is among 10 bird species observed during the site survey, so the development’s name is not entirely random.

While it’s not expected to be revealed as a significant archaeological site, the parcel is less than a quarter mile from Sonoma Creek, and similar settings in the area have shown evidence of prehistoric settlement. The cultural resource consultant, Solano Archaeological Service, proposes “a moderate level of sensitivity for the project area exhibiting prehistoric archaeological remains.”

Sanson said this project would be subject to only a 20% affordable housing requirement, as it was filed with the City before the new 25% standard. Thus only three of the 15 units will be built to these affordability requirements, one each at low, medium and moderate income levels.

According to Planning Department Director David Storer, “It’s in the very early stages of review.” The Planning Commission has had a study session with DeNova on this project as well as the Montaldo proposal, for which a formal application is expected soon.