New 59-unit project in downtown Grover Beach breaks ground. Take a look at the construction

Grover Beach’s downtown area along West Grand Avenue has been growing upwards over the past year — and on Thursday, work started on another noticeable development.

At a Tuesday morning groundbreaking ceremony, Grover Beach city officials and representatives of developer Coastal Community Builders announced the start of construction on “Encore,” a 59-unit mixed-use project consisting of affordable-by-design condos.

As one of several city and private developer-driven developments currently in progress along West Grand Avenue, Coastal Community Builders CEO Cam Boyd said the project has benefited from the cooperation of the city government.

Boyd said as a developer, it’s rare to find a city “where everyone’s rowing in the same direction,” particularly as the city’s West Grand Avenue Streetscape project continues to renovate the streets, infrastructure and sidewalks.

“It is so gratifying to see long-term plans come to fruition,” Grover Beach Mayor Karen Bright said. “I was on the City Council way back when we started with the West Grand Avenue plan — wheels in the public sector turn a bit slowly, but it is so wonderful to see where we’re at.”

What will living at Encore be like?

Originally approved by the Grover Beach City Council in the fall of 2023, the new complex will consist of 59 units spread across two buildings totaling 85,760 square feet on a 1.38-acre lot that has sat vacant for the better part of the past decade.

The buildings will house condominiums ranging from 595-square-foot studios to three-bedroom, 1,300-square-foot units, Grover Beach community development director Megan Martin said during the project’s Planning Commission approval hearing.

While these units are not deed-restricted as affordable units with a percentage-based rent cap, the starting prices of the units should be on the affordable end of the spectrum to, Martin said.

Of the 59 units, 40 take advantage of the city’s fractional density guidelines, which state that a unit under 600 square feet counts as half of a unit, while a unit between 601 and 1,000 square feet counts as two-thirds of a unit and a unit of 1,000 square feet or more counts as one unit, allowing mixed-use developments to exceed the usual zoning limits of a plot.

Amenities will include rooftop space, an outdoor dining space, a pet relief area and landscaping improvements, Martin said.

There will be 80 parking spaces, with an additional 22 parking spaces offsite credited toward the project, Martin said.

On the ground floor, 6,900 square feet of space is reserved for retail or restaurant businesses.

Each unit’s price will be dictated by a combination of market forces at the time they become available and the project’s full cost, and will not be made public until they are ready for sale, former CCB marketing director Gina Perrault told The Tribune in October .

Palladium development reaches 4 stories

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, Coastal Community Builders invited guests to view the project site and streetscape improvements in progress from the top floor of the nearby “Palladium” development, which will eventually provide coastal views from a bar, restaurant and pool.

Since breaking ground in January , Encore’s sister development has already blossomed to a height of four stories plus a top deck across the street, rising above most other buildings in downtown Grover Beach.

Together, the two buildings will feature more than 100 affordable-by design condominiums to the downtown area, along with several thousand square feet of commercial space on the ground floor.

So far, the projects have proved immediately popular for potential residents: Both projects are already fully booked by prospective residents, and have growing wait lists, Bright said.

Grover Beach city manager Matt Bronson said development downtown has accelerated quickly in 2024.

In the past six months, four different housing projects have broken ground downtown

“This really shows where Grand Avenue is going — to become that vision that the community has had for many years of making a walkable, pedestrian-oriented corridor in the heart of our community right here at the Gateway of Fourth and Grand Avenue,” Bronson said. “We’re so appreciative of Coastal Community Builders’ investment that they have shown our community to be part of this vision.”