1200 Park Avenue

Seven blocks south of the downtown plaza that everyone’s worried about, a large, new apartment complex is nearing completion, and it’s one all Chicoans can be happy about. The new 1200 Park Avenue 107-unit senior rental complex, which takes up a full block at 12th Street and Park Avenue, is a beautiful addition to the Park Avenue corridor and the south Chico neighborhood.

Bright, colorful and asymmetrical in design, it’s a good example of the kinds of buildings that are conducive to creating “walkable” communities. Unlike many apartment complexes that seal themselves off from the street with blank walls or detached “spite walls,” 1200 Park Avenue comes right up to the street and embraces the neighborhood. With its big windows and bright façade, it invites residents and others to stroll around it and even through it.

City officials should keep this excellent project in mind when vetting other, similar new buildings.