Workforce Housing

Workforce Housing Trifecta in the Making

Jordan Brandman

Anaheim City Council Member & BIASC Labor Representative

Survival is a word that is used frequently in our industry. And the pandemic brought to bear how important its meaning truly is. COVID-19 has been the evil equalizer, foisting upon all of us existential challenges that were seemingly unthinkable prior to March 2020. Anaheim’s experience was no different. The community experienced a total economic and societal shutdown. To survive was no longer something to be hyperbolized to achieve a particular personal or professional goal. It was life or death. The City understood the gravity of what was happening and maintained core city services, preserving our community’s immediate health while we navigated through.

The City of Anaheim also knew that if it didn’t continue to implement long-planned neighborhood improvement and development priorities, the wake of the pandemic could be so devastating that some in our community would not survive. And one of the best ways to make that happen is to approve an adequate supply of quality workforce housing. This has always been a key tenet for the City, and without fail, Anaheim persevered to ensure that all its residents and businesses were safeguarded in the years to come. Here’s what will be happening in the city because of the good work done at City Hall in 2020.

Angel Stadium Development Plan: The 150-acre development plan calls for up to 5,175 apartments and condominiums with 777 affordable apartments throughout; 2.7 million square feet for Office Space; 1.75 million square feet of retail, restaurants, hotels; a luxury hotel with upwards of 900 rooms; and a 7-acre flagship city park plus 5.2 acres of community park space. The plan also calls for a renovated Angel Stadium of Anaheim or a new 45,000-seat stadium.

Beach Boulevard Specific Plan/39 Commons: The Beach Boulevard Specific Plan is anticipated to promote revitalization of the Project Area by implementing market driven land use changes to encourage infill development of currently vacant or underutilized properties. At buildout, the Specific Plan is expected to result in a maximum of 5,128 dwelling units and 2,189,445 square feet of nonresidential development. Anchoring the plan will be the 39 Commons development, a joint venture of Irvinebased Greenlaw Partners and Los Angeles-based Zelman Development Co. that redevelops over 30 acres at the northeast and southeast corners of Beach Boulevard along Lincoln Avenue into a shopping center, townhomes, and community space. The residential component will consist of over 100 for-sale townhomes and the Mixed-use/Retail portions will include a high-end grocery store (Trader Joe’s or WholeFoods), shops, restaurants, and services, and possibly a hotel.

ocV!BE (Honda Center and ARTIC site): In tandem with the Angels Stadium Plan, ocV!be, is a proposal by the Samueli Family, owners of the Anaheim Ducks and operators of the Honda Center, to create a 95-acre campus around Honda Center and ARTIC. While the project still requires city approvals, the $3 billion, 115-acre, mixed-use community and live entertainment district development endeavors to include a new 6,000-capacity concert venue, a 68,000 square-foot food hall, a variety of restaurants and retail, two new hotels with 650 total rooms, a 325,000-squarefoot office tower, three unique public plazas surrounding the Honda Center, 1,500 residential apartment units that will include a 15 percent dedication to affordable housing, 30 acres of open space and parks, and a network of pedestrian bridges and walkways, including a landmark bridge over Katella Avenue.

Through these and many other exciting projects it will move ahead with in 2021, including approval of the Housing Element re-authorization this Spring, the City of Anaheim will continue to be a workforce housing rampart for the growing Southern California workforce. In doing so, the city won’t just survive, but it will thrive and flourish.