West Sac luxury condo steps from river, ballpark part of co-housing trend. See $1M unit
One of four condominiums still available at a new and unique West Sacramento real estate project is a luxury corner unit asking $1 million.
The condo is also the most expensive among the 35 units at Washington Commons co-housing complex, which is just a short walk from the Sacramento River and Sutter Health Park, the next major league home of the A’s baseball team.
“You are just steps away from all of the action,” the property listing for 330 G St., Unit 207, states.
Designed as a community-based living concept, Washington Commons is nearly sold out after holding a grand opening in June. And that’s an encouraging sign in today’s housing market, said Ryan Lundquist, a Sacramento appraiser and housing market expert.
“This property helps highlight a positive trend in Sacramento of infill development,” he said. “It’s a good thing when about half an acre can contain 35 units instead of just one or two detached homes. There is nothing wrong with building attached units with multiple stories. Moreover, we’ve seen ample development around this location for years, which highlights a growing appetite to be near where the action is. Proximity to the ballpark before the A’s come to town is likely a selling point for some also.”
The 0.55-acre co-housing complex is located on a quiet street in the Washington neighborhood of West Sacramento. A selling point is the condominium building is just two blocks from Sutter Health Park, longtime home of the Sacramento River Cats minor league baseball team. The A’s will be playing at Sutter Health Park before the franchise relocates to a ballpark in Las Vegas that is not yet under construction.
Selling points
Another selling point, according to listing agent Matthew Hindy of Nick Sadek Sotheby’s International Realty: the residences are close to walking and biking trails along the Sacramento River, as well as the Tower Bridge and Drake’s: The Barn beer garden.
Listed for $1.075 million, the new Unit 207 is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,307-square-foot condo. Up on the second floor, the apartment is well-lit and features concrete-style flooring, stainless steel appliances, 9-foot ceilings and a patio with city views.
Washington Commons condominiums start at $598,000. There are both one- and two-bedroom apartments.
Like other co-housing properties, amenities at Washington Commons are extensive, including a community kitchen, dog washing station, woodworking station, arts and crafts rooms, exercise room, separate guest quarters, bike storage and more. Each unit offers a reserved parking space and EV charging outlets.
Hindy said co-housing communities are gaining in popularity across the United States.
“There’s about 200 different co-housing communities throughout the nation,” he said. “The first one is actually located here in Sacramento. What it is is a low-maintenance, simple lifestyle (for) people who don’t have family or friends around them and so their neighbors become their friends, and then those friends become family.”
There are at least two co-housing communities in the Sacramento area. One is 30-unit Fair Oaks EcoHousing. Another is Southside Park Cohousing, which currently has 25 residents, according to its website.
“It’s a co-housing style, a lot of community,” Hindy said. “They cook together, they go on bike rides together, they go on walks together, they watch TV together. There’s so many different common areas for people to garden together, do arts and crafts together.”
Social benefits of co-housing
Because of the social and economic benefits of co-housing living, European governments have encouraged its development. For example, Denmark has about 7% of its population living in co-housing communities, according to Urban Living, a figure that far outpaces the United States, which is still in the early phase of the development trend.
A typical buyer profile might be an empty-nester, a person whose family has moved out of state, or somebody new to the area who doesn’t know many other people or has kids away in college.
“It’s a mixed demographic and everyone’s very welcoming there,” Hindy said of Washington Commons.
Both Lundquist and Hindy said West Sacramento is getting a lot of attention as a place to settle down these days.
West Sacramento home sales above $1 million are matching those in Sacramento County — both coming in at 5.2%, according to Lundquist’s figures.
“We do see a higher percentage of luxury price points in El Dorado and Placer County,” he noted.
In the entire four-county region around Sacramento this year, 9.6% of all sales have closed above $1 million. At the same period in 2023, it was 8.5%, and in 2022 the figure was 9.6%.
“In short, we’ve basically seen a percentage of million-dollar sales this year that rivals the highest percentage we’ve seen before from a couple of years ago,” Lundquist said. “Part of this reflects a rise in prices over time, but some of it has to do with a buyer profile in the region right now that is less sensitive to what is happening with mortgage rates. In other words, buyers bringing more money to the table tend to be less concerned overall about what is happening with mortgage rates, and that’s one reason why we are seeing a higher percentage of sales at higher price points.”
The million-dollar home is a robust part of luxury residential sales in the region. Some 25.5% of all million-dollar sales this year in the region have been between $1.0 and $1.1 million.
Lundquist joked that being close to the action at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park — but not too close — is a good thing:
“It’s worth noting this property is only a couple blocks from the stadium, and that’s far outside of home run range — even in baseball’s steroid era of yesteryear,” he said.
