Millennial parents Luis Contreras and his girlfriend recently purchased a stroller for their 4-year-old “daughter”– a black cat they rescued and adopted in Merced.
The couple, two UC Merced graduates, moved into a two-bedroom apartment at Merced Horizons this February. They were the first residents to move into the new development.
The new housing community by Rubik Built, a Central Valley-based construction company, is located near the roundabout on Pacific Drive at 3700 Horizons Ave. in north Merced.
Officials celebrate expanded housing opportunities
In March, city leaders, local housing developers and community members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the complex.
The modern, gated community in the El Redondo neighborhood will feature 128 total units with one, two and three-bedroom floor plans available for rent, starting at $1,850 for a one-bedroom apartment.
Rental prices in Merced for all property types average around $1,850 per month, according to market prices listed on Zillow.
“We certainly need housing. There’s a market for it,” Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto told event attendees. “(Merced) is one of the fastest growing communities, and it could continue to grow even faster and faster in the next five, 10, 20 years.”
Phases one and two of the project, containing 60 units, are now complete. The next three phases will finalize construction in June, according to Lou Myers, one of the project’s representatives.
At the ceremony, Serratto and District 2 Councilmember Yang Pao Thao, recognized Myers with a certificate of accomplishment for his leadership in bringing high-quality housing to Merced.
Myers, a Central Valley-based housing developer, was also presented with multiple certificates of recognition by representatives from the offices of state Senator Anna Caballero, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria and Rep. Adam Gray, D-Merced.
“We’re thrilled to bring this to the market. The community needs it…,” Myers said. “It’s what we do – We take these blighted communities, and we turn them into something very special.”
A technologically advanced gated community
Featuring a fiber optic internet network, advanced security system and entry access via the phone application ButterflyMX, the multifamily residential development features amenities that “Merced just doesn’t have,” Myers said.
Every unit at Merced Horizons also features a preinstalled washer and dryer. The apartments are located within a mile walking distance of the M1, M2, M3 and L bus lines.
The new housing development represents a revitalization of the region, Myers said.
“The city has played a critical role,” he said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Merced PD would do extra (drives) here. We were getting vandalized on a nightly basis…”
Property managers with GSF Properties are accepting rental applications for apartments starting at $1,850 for a one-bedroom unit, $2,100 for two and $2,400 for three bedrooms.
The first 40 residents are eligible for reduced promotional offers, according to Brittany Harrison, GSF Properties community manager.
The first 20 people get discounted “pioneer” prices starting at $1,665 for a one-bedroom, $1,890 for a two-bedroom and $2,160 for a three-bedroom apartment, while the remainder get “frontier” prices starting at $1,758 for a one-bedroom, $1,995 for a two-bedroom and $2,280 for a three-bedroom unit.
Transplants take root in Merced
The first resident to apply in October and move into the complex was UC Merced alumnus Luis Contreras.
“When I went to UC Merced, you were either from SoCal or NorCal,” Contreras said. He moved to Merced from South Central Los Angeles in 2011 to study applied mathematics.
He met his girlfriend through the university, and when his family started expanding, the couple began looking for a more comfortable place to live.
Now a data analyst, he and his girlfriend’s combined incomes cover a monthly rent of $1,890 for a two-bedroom unit at Merced Horizons.
“Personally, it was a huge change, and it was the same for others,” Contreras said about starting his new chapter in Merced approximately 15 years ago.
While his peers reported feeling homesick, he welcomed the transition, especially the reduced density when compared to L.A.
“In L.A., honestly, my house is probably just as big as this apartment,” Contreras said.
His patio and living room window now overlook an empty plot of land – a view he said he enjoys.
