New apartment complex coming to Barstow

BARSTOW — Another three-story apartment complex received the go ahead from the city Monday night.

Permits to build Sahara Village, an affordable 73-unit complex on Montara Road near Purdy’s Quality Meats and the Holiday Home Mobile Home Park, were unanimously approved by the Planning Commission. When completed, it will be Barstow’s second three-story apartment complex.

The Calico Family Apartments, proposed by the same developer as Sahara Village, Global Premier Development, was the first three-story apartment complex recently approved by the commission, according to the city.

Plans for Sahara Village include 37 two-bedroom units and 36 three-bedroom units. The commission decided to allow the complex to feature carports instead of garages and made a few other minor changes to the plans. Ricky Torres, a project manager for the complex was at Monday’s meeting and did not object to the changes. Torres could not be reached on Tuesday for comment.

Only minor concerns were raised by Richard Riegel, whose family owns the Holiday Mobile Home Park across Montara Road from the proposed apartment complex. Riegel, who spoke at Monday’s meeting, was concerned that the exposed walls of the carports facing the road would be unsightly and unsafe. As with another complex by Global Premier Development, the commission required that the carports be walled on three sides.

“I like that they have at least some standard now with three walls around carports,” Riegel said.

The city’s parking ordinance states that at least 50 percent of the parking in a multiple-family residential development, like an apartment complex, must be in garages. However, three apartment complexes have been recently built in the city with carports instead of garages.

Riegel said he felt the concerns of his family the residents of the mobile home park were addressed by the commission.

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