By JEFF CLEMETSON | Mission Times Courier

The large apartment building project in Allied Gardens, formerly known as Riverbend, is now set to soon begin breaking ground.

Developers G.H. Palmer Associates finalized purchase of the 22-acre site along the San Diego River on Oct. 18 for $48.6 million. The land was previously owned by GG 7600 and Shawnee Properties and currently houses a towing company and some light industrial buildings.

The Riverbend project was approved by City Council in 2012 and representatives of G.H. Palmer said they will stick closely to that plan with some upgrades. Planned for the site are 996 apartments — a mix of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units within several three- to six-story buildings. Planned amenities include pools, gyms and a business center. All of the apartments will be market-rate, include no subsidized or rent-controlled units and not take advantage of any lower-income housing incentives.

In addition to the housing, the project will also include 37,500 square feet of commercial and office space and 5 acres set aside for park space.

The Riverbend project, when it was first proposed and presented to the city, was controversial among some Allied Gardens residents who complained that the buildings were too high, that the density would bring too much traffic to the area, and that the project would use too much water.

After the project was approved by City Council in 2012, the developers shelved it and never broke ground for unknown reasons.

Now under new ownership, the current timeline for construction has grading and land development beginning sometime around May of 2020 and construction on buildings starting a year later. G.H. Palmer hopes to have apartments ready and available for rent by summer of 2023.

— Reach editor Jeff Clemet­son at [email protected].