City provides update on Nakagawa apartments; Project expected to be split into two phases and offer more units

Feb. 23—In its continued effort to make available more market-rate apartments and townhomes in the downtown area of Marysville, officials told the Appeal on Friday that one of its soon-to-be signature apartment projects is set to break ground as early as May.

According to Marysville Community Development Director Dan Flores, development of The Nakagawa, a multi-story apartment building in downtown Marysville, will now be broken up into two phases that will ultimately result in three separate three-story buildings with a total of 18 market-rate apartment units.

Located at 308 C St., next to Cisco's Taqueria, the site of the future Nakagawa complex was once home to the former Nakagawa Co. building at 306 C St. That building was demolished in March 2021.

According to Appeal archives, the building had been vacant for at least 20 years and was considered by many as a local landmark. Several years prior to its demolition, there was an effort to save the building originally built in 1857, which was in need of significant repairs. Those efforts, however, were unsuccessful, the Appeal previously reported.

In May 2023, the Marysville City Council unanimously approved a Disposition and Development Agreement, or DDA, with the developers of the project — Sandra Adams and Weldon Bell. At the time, Adams said they wanted The Nakagawa to remind residents and visitors of its history and also fill a desperate need for quality housing in downtown Marysville.

"It's a tribute to Marysville," Adams said during the May 2, 2023, city council meeting. "I love this town. It has a lot of history. ... Remember what Marysville is all about, it's a historic community. And we need to bring it back to life."

The original plans for The Nakagawa included one two-level building containing 10 one- and two-bedroom units. On Friday, Flores told the Appeal those details have since changed.

Flores said there was a "pre-development meeting" on Thursday between the developers, the contractor — Hilbers, Inc. — and the architect of the project, Joe Coulter. Various city officials also were at the meeting, such as representatives from the planning and public works departments.

During that meeting, the interested parties reviewed draft plans put together by the developers with final plans expected to be submitted by mid-March. Once a review is completed around early April, Flores said construction permits could be issued in April with a possible groundbreaking ceremony sometime in May.

From that meeting, Flores said major changes were made to the initial plans for The Nakagawa.

"Originally, the developers were going to build the project in a single phase," Flores said. "A change was made so that it will be built in two phases instead. The first phase of construction, which is slated to begin in May, will feature a single three-story building comprising of six market-rate apartments."

Flores said after that first phase is completed, the developers will build out the second and final phase, which will consist of two additional three-story apartment buildings.

"The architectural design will still incorporate elements reminiscent of the Nakagawa grocery store as presented in the original development agreement rendering," Flores said. "Phase one will actually be erected on the site of the old Nakagawa grocery store. ... Phase two will be on the property just north, which was just designated as an RDA (Redevelopment Agency) property and sold to the developer under the conditions of a city council approved development agreement."

Flores said that instead of the 10 apartment units from the original design there will now be 18 market-rate units spread throughout the three buildings. He said due to the changes in the development plan, an "agreement and amendment" will be presented to the Marysville City Council to reflect the updates to the project.

With the changes, Flores said he expected phase two of the project to begin no later than 2026 with the entire project possibly completed no later than late 2026 or early 2027.

"We are thrilled to see the Nakagawa building progressing," Flores said. "This housing project is yet another demonstration of the momentum happening in Marysville as we continue to foster growth and revitalization within our community."