Although Mission’s The Locale, 6201 Johnson Drive, opened in the middle of COVID-19 shutdowns on April 1, tenant interest in the 5-story luxury apartment complex continues into summer 2020, said Terry O’Leary, co-chief executive officer of EPC Real Estate Group.
The Locale is currently about 50% leased and O’Leary said while EPC wasn’t sure what the leasing velocity would be due to the pandemic, it turned out to be “just as good or better than any other year we’ve opened anything.”
“One of the main [reasons] is obviously the location, which we felt was just, from day one, incredible,” O’Leary said. “We kind of refer to it as the lamp post district the city of Mission created along Johnson Drive there.”
The location was designed to offer 5500 square feet worth of retail space on the ground floor, originally intended to accommodate a restaurant. There are no prospective tenants for the space yet, O’Leary said.
The surrounding area, downtown Mission, provides The Locale residents with a variety of local shops coupled with grocery stores and national names within walking distance, O’Leary said. O’Leary said EPC has received feedback that the apartment complex fits in well with the surrounding area and looks “like it has always been there.” The Locale is taking all necessary COVID-19 safety measures including social distancing and limiting the number of people in the gym, pool and other areas.
Residents have access to a pool, a bike shop and repair room, a dog wash and dry room, and a dog park, to start. Other notable amenities include an infared sauna area, refrigerated food delivery system and three-part gym.
“There [haven’t been] any new apartments in the city of Mission for probably about 30 years,” O’Leary said. “When you build something like that in the area, it really offers a lot of opportunities.”
