Affordable housing on Costa Mesa Senior Center lot could get green light from council

A proposal to build 70 units of affordable senior housing on the parking lot of the city-owned and operated Costa Mesa Senior Center has been in the works for years but could finally see the light of day Tuesday.

That’s when a request for the entitlements needed to move the project forward — reviewed and approved by the Costa Mesa Planning Commission in December — are scheduled to come before the City Council in a public hearing.

Put forth by Irvine-based nonprofit developer Jamboree Housing Corp., the plan calls for the subdivision of the 2.66-acre senior center lot, located at 695 W. 19th St., which would create a separate 1.5-acre parcel on the eastern side.

Diagrams for a new affordable housing site for seniors were displayed during a February 2024 community outreach event at the Costa Mesa Senior Center.

(File Photo)

A four-story, 93,972-square foot Spanish Revival-style building standing 57.5 feet tall would feature 35 units for low-income seniors and 34 units of permanent supportive housing for very-low income residents 55 years and older, along with one two-bedroom manager’s unit.

Occupants identified for the supportive housing would also receive assistance from case workers as well as life improvement services, such as financial literacy classes and help finding employment. No on-site medical services are being proposed for the complex, according to a staff report for Tuesday’s meeting.

Although the structure would be built on the current site of the Senior Center’s 145-space parking lot, the housing units would sit atop a ground-floor lot with 59 spaces, while another 74 spaces are proposed for an on-site surface parking lot.

City officials in July 2020 entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the Irvine-based nonprofit that allowed it to study the feasibility of the site for low-income senior housing. While the agreement expired in 2022, plans have continued to progress.

An aerial view of Costa Mesa’s Senior Center, at 695 W. 19th St., outlines where a proposed 70-unit senior housing project is being planned.

(Courtesy of the city of Costa Mesa)

The project has been floated by Jamboree representatives at two community meetings held in February and December last year. Participants at those events lodged their concerns about accessibility to the center and parking lot during construction, as well as noise, dust and traffic impacts.

Others support the plan for the needed housing it would bring, particularly for low-income seniors, and its location within a transit-rich area with shopping and public amenities, like the nearby Norma Hertzog Community Center.

The City Council meeting begins Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Costa Mesa City Hall, 77 Fair Drive. For the meeting agenda, visit costamesaca.gov.