San Diego County’s biggest apartment complex of the year is opening. It’s not where you think

You might be surprised to learn that the county’s biggest apartment complex this year is not in San Diego.

San Marcos’ 222 North City complex has 458 apartments, making it the largest apartment building in San Diego County to open this year. It has units of every size — from studios to four-bedrooms — with apartments starting at $2,500 a month to penthouses exceeding $10,000 a month.

At 12 stories, 222 North City is the tallest building in the county north of University City. Instead of the more typical block-type apartment buildings found throughout San Diego County, the building has setbacks and staggered edges on its exterior.

“Everybody is putting boxes up,” said Darren Levitt, principal of developer Sea Breeze Properties. “We are a one-of-one development.”

Opening to renters on Dec. 30, 222 North City just narrowly got the title for largest apartment building of the year. Other big complexes have been AMLI Aero in Serra Mesa with 442 units and the Rowyn building in Hillcrest with 435 units. (Casa Mira View in Mira Mesa, built in 2014 with 1,848 apartments, remains the biggest in the county).

The new apartment building is part of the larger North City development next to CSU San Marcos. The $1 billion masterplan development includes student housing, a hotel, restaurants, subsidized housing, parks, retail and hospitals. The North City plan was approved in 2009 and its vision is a true downtown for North San Diego County.

There are 72 different floor plans at 222 North City. Real estate tracker CoStar said average monthly rent for a studio is $2,768; for a one-bedroom, $3,166; and for a two-bedroom, $4,556. There are three-bedrooms, including penthouses, which start around $5,800 a month. There is also one four-bedroom unit that is already rented out.

That’s still higher than the average San Diego County rent, which has fallen for six months in a row. For a promotion, 222 North City is offering up to eight weeks free on some units based on a “look and lease” deal. The promotion is based on the length of the lease, and Sea Breeze said it reviews it weekly, so it is subject to change.

So far, higher prices haven’t scared off potential renters. Sarah Potter, director of asset management at Sea Breeze, said they are nearly 10% leased — a high rate for a building that hasn’t even opened yet.

Nathan Moeder, a San Diego housing analyst with London Moeder Advisors, said the project appeals to locals who don’t want to move farther south. He noted the most comparable project, the mixed-use One Paseo development in Carmel Valley, has higher rents.

“All things being equal, the rents at (222) North City are cheaper than One Paseo,” Moeder said. “They aren’t pushing the market as this ultra-luxury thing, competing with coastal markets. I think they are positioned pretty well.”

One thing that is different about North City is it already has a fairly built-out small downtown area with businesses, a farmers market and, in general, things to do if you step outside the apartment building. Some businesses include Buona Forchetta restaurant, Copa Vida coffee shop, climbing gym Mesa Rim, Umami Japanese restaurant and Draft Republic bar and restaurant.

Plenty of workers already commute to North City, so the apartment complex is likely to attract some people who are tired of traffic. The biggest nearby employer is CSU San Marcos, but there is also Kaiser Permanente’s San Marcos medical center, two San Diego County office buildings (County Assessor and Department of Weights and Measures) and a new large Scripps hospital under construction with a 200- to 250-bed full-service hospital and a 150,000- to 200,000-square-foot ambulatory care building.

Local workers can still have a car at 222 North City if they want. The complex has three underground floors of parking and charges $100 to $200 per month. It might be possible to live without a car, considering the Sprinter light rail has a stop within walking distance.

Amenities at 222 North City include a pool, two hot tubs, a two-story gym operated for residents by Fit Athletic, resident lounges, co-working space, a game room (ping pong, pool table, etc.), two fourth-floor resident pavilions (connected by a short bridge), and every residence has a balcony or Juliet window.

Some finishing touches might stand out: Older trees were added to the property, including 40-year-old olive trees and palm trees that reach the fifth floor. Original artwork was added throughout, including pieces from Cuban-American artist Jorge Pardo, a MacArthur Fellowship recipient with art in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and others.

Construction on 222 North City started in November 2022, with up to 800 workers a day at its height to complete the project. There are still about 200 workers on site daily as they aim for all finishing touches to be completed by February.

Subsidized housing is in a separate building from 222 North City, but part of the overall community. A building with 222 apartments (coincidence with the address of the new building) for low-income renters is under construction with a projected opening of spring 2027.