Construction Begins on New Mixed-Use Luxury Urban Community in Monrovia Designed by KTGY

Designed by KTGY, The Courtyards at Old Town in Monrovia, CA is a development of 163 luxury apartments and 6,000 SF of commercial office and retail space. Completion is expected by mid 2010. End Quote

The Courtyards at Old Town in Monrovia, Calif., designed by KTGY Group, Inc.

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) December 03, 2008 - Award-winning KTGY GROUP, INC., Architecture and Planning, is pleased to announce that after months of collaboration with developer Urban Housing Group, the City of Monrovia and KTGY, Urban Housing Group has begun construction on a pivotal mixed-use commercial/residential urban community in the City of Monrovia’s Old Town district, The Courtyards at Old Town. Designed by KTGY, the project re-uses a three-acre former office industrial property for development of 163 luxury apartments and 6,000 square feet of commercial office and retail space. Urban Housing Group purchased the property from Barratt-American earlier this year. Completion is expected by mid 2010.

Located in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley about five miles east of Pasadena, The Courtyards at Old Town will consist of four stories of residential built over 2,000 square feet of retail and 4,000 square feet of commercial/flex space along the 700 block of Myrtle Avenue, which is located on the southern edge of Old Town. A four-story parking garage will occupy the southeast corner of the site and contain approximately 75 public parking spaces and 330 resident spaces.

With an equal number of one and two-bedroom apartments, the units range in size from 746 sq. ft. to 1,249 sq. ft. The Courtyards at Old Town will feature stooped entries at the street level, themed urban courtyards and a public plaza at the corner of Myrtle and Olive with opportunities for public artwork and outdoor seating.

“We are providing an opportunity for urban, mixed-use living with all the amenities of Old Town Monrovia just steps away, without sacrificing on-site outdoor and indoor amenities such as a relaxing pool and spa, and a spacious clubhouse and state-of-the art fitness room, located directly on Myrtle Avenue,” said Dan Deibel, vice president of development for Urban Housing Group.

The proposed buildings will reflect the eclectic nature of Old Town by emphasizing a diversity of building forms, massing, materials and colors. “We are maintaining the historic character of Old Town with its late 19th century, early 20th century architecture and recreating some of the Old Town’s intimate outdoor spaces such as alleys and plazas,” said KTGY’s Jirair Garabedian, AIA, LEED AP and lead designer for the project.

The project is planned and designed to achieve density while maintaining a profusion of on-site open active and passive spaces. “The efficiently-planned building design wrapped around two sides of the parking structure allows for a more cost effective construction and provides accessibility and convenience for the residents. The residents also benefit from the amenities of having retail and commercial services on the ground floor and nearby within walking distance,” said KTGY’s Dan McAllister, principal in charge of the project.

Old Town is essentially a six-block stretch of Myrtle Avenue, about one mile north of the 210 Freeway. The area has been the center of town since the 19th century and features a variety of shops and services including a 12-screen movie theatre, a few nightclubs, restaurants, coffee houses, a bakery, bookstores, music stores, an appliance store, and dry cleaners. Every Friday night in Old Town there is a Family Festival and Street Fair that includes a Farmer’s Market, food booths, along with live music, street performers, artisan booths and a kids' play area with bouncers, rides, and a petting zoo.

City hall is only one block off Myrtle, as are some classic century-old craftsman style homes. Last year, the redevelopment agency completed a $3 million upgrade of Old Town sidewalks, landscaping and street furniture. Next year, the community will have a new 28,000-square-foot community center and library.

The Courtyards at Old Town will also be in close proximity to the proposed Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) light-rail station site which is expected to be situated approximately one mile south of The Courtyards and will provide residents with convenient access to light-rail transportation and the greater Los Angeles County.

The Courtyards at Old Town is an example of the type of projects that cities and experienced developers are focused on in this current economic climate: core, urban locations that offer close proximity to jobs, amenities, transportation and established infrastructure where people can live, work, play and shop.

“People still need affordable places to live. However, in order to be a financially successful project, cities and developers must achieve development density for housing and commercial uses with cost efficient solutions that avoid subterranean parking, while in the same time balancing density with open space -- common or private. Civic space, on and off site, and how to engage it successfully, are also very important to flourishing project,” noted McAllister.

“The proposed architecture and site layout must respect and complement the existing context of the surrounding buildings and community (i.e., physical, historical and economic context). Additionally, developers must mix uses vertically in a way that enhances both residential and commercial uses and maintains the delicate synergistic balance between them,” said KTGY’s Garabedian.

KTGY has won countless awards for its many mixed-use, mixed-income, affordable, workforce, senior and campus housing projects. Some of KTGY’s recent award-winning projects include: Market Lofts in Los Angeles, Calif., a mixed-use retail/residential urban community located in the heart of downtown that includes six stories of upscale lofts above street-level retail and a subterranean garage; Nuevo Amanecer Apartments in Pajaro, Calif., which offers affordable, quality homes for low income migrant and resident farm workers; Casa del Maestro in Santa Clara, Calif., a pioneering public/private partnership, which created a high quality 40-unit apartment project for the district’s teaching pool which was completed – start to finish – in only two years; College Vista in San Mateo, Calif., a public/private partnership, which created a 44-unit apartment community for San Mateo’s community college faculty; Garden Grove Senior Apartments in Garden Grove, Calif., a high density, 100% affordable, 85-unit active adult community; and KTGY’s third student housing project at the University of California, Irvine, the latest being up to 4,000 on-campus beds and will target a silver or higher certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system.

Established in 1991, KTGY GROUP, INC., Architecture and Planning, provides comprehensive planning and architectural design services for residential communities, retail developments, hospitality and related specialty projects. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, marketing and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients throughout the U.S., KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, and in Denver. For more information, see www.ktgy.com.

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