66-Unit Affordable Housing Project Proposed in Buena Park

A proposal to develop an affordable housing project in Buena Park is one step closer to approval after the City released its initial study for the Orchard View Gardens Senior Apartment Homes last week.

The proposal by National CORE would subdivide an existing parcel into two, maintaining St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church and developing a residential apartment building on the second parcel. The project on the second parcel would include 9 single-story casitas and an affordable housing building with 66 residential units and a 3,000-square-foot community center located at 8300 Valley View Street.

The residential apartment homes, including 62 one-bedroom units and 4 two-bedroom units, will be reserved for seniors aged 62 and over, earning less than 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) along with one manager’s unit, for a total of 66 units. Eight of the units will be for permanent supportive housing to house formerly homeless seniors.

To accommodate residents, visitors and staff, a total of forty-eight (48) parking stalls are proposed for a total ratio of 0.71 spaces per unit.

RRM Design Group proposes a California Mission architectural style to be complementary with the church and the surrounding neighborhoods. The project includes both wall and roof plane articulation and carries the design elements to each elevation, including the inner portions of the site and all detached structures such as trash enclosures. The maximum building height proposed is 35 feet.

The National CORE is seeking a General Plan Amendment to High-Density Residential, a Zone Change to Medium-Density Multifamily Residential (RM-20), a modification to use permit, and a Development Agreement to accommodate the Proposed Project.