A new 520-unit apartment community has opened near the intersection of South Allen Road and White Lane, marking what its developers call the largest multifamily development in Kern County. Park Center at Seven Oaks held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday in the area of White Lane and Allen Road, and the property already began welcoming its first residents earlier this week.
The project comes from a partnership between Fuller Apartment Homes and Presidio Capital Partners, according to Bolthouse Properties, which describes it as a phased development. As reported by KGET 17 News, the community includes more than 500 apartment units and is the first portion of the new Westbridge neighborhood to open to tenants.
A Trail-Connected Community Takes Shape
Park Center sits alongside a three-mile trail running through Seven Oaks, per the station's report, and a pedestrian bridge is planned to eventually carry that trail over South Allen Road into Westbridge, linking the new neighborhood with the rest of the community. Bolthouse Properties separately confirms the development offers direct access to the Stephan J. DeBranch Memorial Trail, giving residents a built-in connection to the area's outdoor space.
Developers say Park Center at Seven Oaks is Bakersfield's largest apartment community, a distinction tied to its scale within the broader Westbridge plan. The Bakersfield Californian reports that the project was designed to offer resort-style living at 520 units near White Lane and Allen Road, and The Bakersfield Californian notes that Westbridge is the final stage of Bolthouse Properties' work in Seven Oaks, with Park Center's opening marking Westbridge's debut and additional development still to come.
Amenities and What Comes Next for Westbridge
Planned amenities at the property include a resort-style pool, fitness center, co-working lounge and clubhouse, according to Bolthouse Properties. The developer's plans for the broader Westbridge area call for continued expansion of residential, retail and open-space uses, suggesting Park Center is only the opening phase of a much larger neighborhood buildout.
Andy Fuller, president of Fuller Apartment Homes, said that opening the development and seeing residents move in made the project gratifying because it provides both housing and a sense of place, according to KGET 17 News. With the first residents already settling in as of this week, the project's early phase appears to be functioning as developers intended, even as the pedestrian bridge and additional Westbridge uses remain in the pipeline.
