Construction has commenced for a large multifamily residential development just north of a Metro L Line station in Duarte.

Rendered view of Esperanza at DuarteAO

Esperanza at Duarte Station, which is being developed by MBK Rental Living, will consist of 344 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments on a 4.3-acre property at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Business Center Drive.

AO is designing the apartment complex, which will consist of five-story wood-frame buildings wrapping parking structures.  The contemporary low-rise development will be accompanied by a linear park, feeding into pedestrian routes toward the adjacent Metro station.

According to the website of R.D. Olson Construction, the project's general contractor, planned on-site amenities include five ground-level courtyards, a club room, a swimming pool, and a fitness center.

Rendered view of Esperanza at DuarteAO

MBK, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co., announced its purchase of the Duarte development site just over one year ago.  The company acquired the site through a joint venture with Haseko Corporation, another Japanese entity.

“Delivering luxury amenities and elevated lifestyle in this high-demand, highly-connected L.A. County market is an exciting opportunity for MBK and Haseko,” said MBK Rental Living President Craig Jones in a March 2020 news release. “Adjacency to transportation options, including the L.A. Metro Rail and the I-210 and I-605 interchange between Pasadena and the Inland Empire, enhances the lifestyle and convenience this rental community will offer to a diverse range of renters, from students and families to professionals and empty nesters.”

At the time, completion of Esperanza was expected to commence in late 2020 and conclude in mid-2023.  The company's website also advertises a second phase to the development, called Solana at Duarte Station.

Rendered view of Esperanza at DuarteAO

The development site was entitled through a specific plan approved by the City of Duarte in 2019, which would ultimately allow for the construction of up to 681 apartments to the north of the station.  At least 62 of those homes would be set aside as family and senior affordable housing under a separate project to be built by Irvine-based Jamboree Housing.

Duarte Station also sits to the north of the City of Hope hospital complex, which is also poised for redevelopment through a separate specific plan approved in 2018.

MBK, which is headquartered in Irvine, previously developed 300 apartments on a linear site next to the 405 Freeway in Carson.

Construction of Esperanza at Duarte StationOxBlue