Photo by Dylan Gonzales | The 492-unit Lark at Copper River goes beyond swimming pools for its list of amenities, boasting a third-story rooftop lounge for residents.

As The Lark at Copper River approaches full occupancy, the team behind the modern North Fresno luxury apartment complex strives not just to build apartments, but to build a lifestyle.

The resort-like development features several amenities rarely seen in apartment complexes. Some of the many amenities at The Lark at Copper River include a complimentary coffee café for residents, a modern gym and a third-story rooftop lounge with views of the surrounding mountains and pickleball courts.

Rent for The Lark at Copper River, which features 492 units, ranges from $2,119 for a one-bedroom, one-bath unit to $3,260 for a two-bedroom, two-bath unit.

Residents began the move-in process in September 2022.

“You walk in and it looks like you’re at a luxury resort,” said Kellie Newsome, property manager for The Lark. “That’s a huge difference. Clearly, when you have Coffee Bird and on-site baristas, you see our residents gathering right in front of you and then you look out here, you see this huge resort-style pool.”

Mark VandenBerghe, president of developer VandenBerghe Properties, said the vision was always bigger than the buildings.

“I think it’s such a noble calling,” VandenBerghe said. “I truly believe it’s so gratifying to do something which [puts a] roof over my head, over my employees’ heads — but by doing it in a way that is providing a place for people to live.”

Derek Zemrak, the senior vice president of VandenBerghe properties, said the residents often tell the management team that living at The Lark at Copper River doesn’t feel like home, but rather a vacation resort.

One of VandenBerghe’s dreams for The Lark at Copper River was Coffee Bird, the cafe in the clubhouse.

“[Coffee Bird] was Mark’s dream, and that was Mark’s baby for many, many years,” Newsome said. “We’re lined up. On Saturdays after yoga, there are 25 people in here enjoying coffee.”

Coffee Bird provides coffee courtesy of Kuppa Joy.

One of the other most popular amenities at The Lark at Copper River is the rooftop lounge. It is one of the most popular gathering areas in the complex.

“We’ve had wine and cheese socials, Super Bowl parties — it’s fantastic,” Newsome said. “The fire pits, the music events, the view — people love to gather up there.”

During clear days, residents can see the nearby Sierra, and when it’s clear enough, even the Coast Range is visible.

Community building is also essential for VandenBerghe, Newsome and Zemrak. Dogs have birthday parties at the on-site and shaded dog park and baristas transform into pool attendants on weekends, adding to the familiarity with the residents.

“Our baristas work their shift, and then on the weekends, they’re at our pool and they give out snacks,” Newsome said. “We have spa waters that we put together and curated for them, we also have sunscreen and of course, that’s free of charge as well.”

When it comes to residents, the property has attracted strong interest from medical professionals working at nearby hospitals.

“We have such an overwhelming amount of medical staff that’s here,” Newsome said. “These people are coming from out of state, and they don’t know anybody. This gives them a place to build community, and it feels good to them.”

She added: “We also have an 80-year-old resident who just moved in recently, who’s having the time of her life.”

Each apartment features keyless latch entry and Google Nest thermostats.

“This level of resident is looking for convenience, and they want everything to be accessible to them, at their fingertips,” Newsome said. “Latch is something that grants them entrance into all of our amenities spaces and to our front gates.”

Looking ahead, the team’s focus is on stabilizing operations and finishing the final lease-ups.

“We have just about 400 occupied units today, so we have another 90 or so to finish renting out, which will happen sometime in the next few months,” VandenBerghe said. “We want to go out and serve our residents the best that we can and just keep this going.”

Newsome added: “This place needs to be maintained at a super high level… We get to really kind of buckle down and double down on, you know, figuring out exactly what we can add. The sky’s the limit for us at this point.”

“I see us, future-wise, having huge wait lists to get into The Lark at Copper River,” she said. “That’s for me, my goal. I’m going to make that happen.”