Ceres City Council approves 81-unit senior living complex next to historic Evanshire Mansion; four-story development targets residents 55 and older on Stone Haven Court extension

May 2, 2025 (Modesto Bee) –

Four stories of assisted-living apartments will rise next to a historic mansion and event center in Ceres .

The City Council approved the 81-unit project on a 4-0 vote Monday, April 28 . It will house people 55 and older on part of the five-acre site that includes the Evanshire Gardens event center.

Details were not available on the rents, the construction timeline and the services planned for residents.

The project drew praise at the council meeting for helping to ease the overall housing shortage. One of the speakers was Shirley Rogers , who represents Ceres on the Stanislaus County Commission on Aging .

“They’re going to give up their houses and go into senior living developments,” she said, “and when they do, that will make more housing available to the public also.”

An 81-unit senior housing project won City Council approlval in Ceres, Calif. , on April 28, 2025 City of Ceres

The building site is just south of the Evans Road event center and about a half-mile north of downtown. The housing will have its main access via an extension of Stone Haven Court.

The facade will match the French Colonial style of the Evanshire Mansion . The 4,000-square-foot home was built in 1902 for Dr. Clairborne Evans , a medical pioneer who died in 1937, according to the Ceres Courier .

The event center will continue to host weddings, quinceañeras, corporate functions and other gatherings. They take place on the lushly landscaped grounds but not in the old house.

The site is just north of the Stanislaus Recovery Center. The latter originally was Memorial Hospital and now treats addiction under county government ownership.

At a Ceres Planning Commission meeting, a few neighbors raised concerns about traffic and the 50-foot building height. The commission voted 3-0 on April 7 to recommend City Council approval.

The site already was designated for high-density homes in the Ceres General Plan, said Lea Simvoulakis , community development director. That would mean 63 units on the two-acre project site. The developer boosted it to 81 via a “density bonus” provided under state law to encourage senior housing.

Assisted-living centers help residents with some daily tasks, but this is short of the level of care in nursing homes.

“I know that our city needs places for people to get older,” Councilmember James Casey said Monday. “... It’s difficult to find a place for them to go where they’ll be comfortable.”

He was joined in the vote by Mayor Javier Lopez and Councilmembers Cerina Otero and Rosalinda Vierra . Member Daniel Martinez was absent.

Ceres must build at least 3,361 dwellings of all types through 2031 under a state-mandated plan. They range from “very low-income” apartments to single-family houses for middle- and higher-income residents.

Simvoulakis said the Evanshire project was exempt from detailed environmental study because it is “infill” rather than expanding the city. She also lauded it for adding homes while retaining the event center.

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