Real Estate Deals of the Year: Artist Walk

Why it won: The City of Fremont wanted to revitalize the Centerville neighborhood and it had a tool to do so: vacant land. In 2015, officials sold the land to a developer that would become Danville-based Blake|Griggs Properties.The plan was to deliver a mixed-use, transit-oriented development that would bring needed housing and a dose of vibrancy to the area.

Fast forward to 2017, when Artist Walk opened with 185 apartments, 30,000 square feet of retail and a community center for art shows, performances and events. The project is 2.5 miles from the Fremont BART station and a half-mile from the Centerville Train Depot, which serves Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor and the Altamont Corridor Express.

The project is over 80 percent leased — well ahead of projections. It offers a pedestrian-centric design and a public courtyard and fountain. Units have nine-foot ceilings, private balconies and residents can access a pool and clubhouse, pet spa and a bicycle maintenance room.

Artist Walk

Address: 3888 Artist Walk Common, Fremont

Size: 185 units

Cost: Over $60 million

Developers: Blake|Griggs Properties and JD Capital Partners

Contractor: Western National Builders

Architect: BDE

Engineer: MacKay & Somps

“Artist Walk is proving to be the community catalyst we’d envisioned, helping attract more people for the Centerville district. Partnering with the city to execute on the vision made it an even better project, leasing up faster than expected.”

— Ryan Mcnamara,  development director, Blake|Griggs Properties