Construction Begins for Seniors Housing

Ground was broken this week for the Seasons apartment complex, the city’s first affordable-housing project for seniors.

Set at Rancho Viejo Road and Ortega Highway, Seasons will provide 112 one- and two-bedroom, one-bath apartments for independent seniors with limited finances.

“It will give our seniors a housing alternative, with security and a guarantee of controlled rents,” Mayor Wyatt Hart said. “It’s a beautiful location, and we welcome it to the city.”

The Seasons, scheduled to open in November, includes a pool and spa, recreation center, community kitchen facilities, game room and lending library.

One-bedroom units are expected to rent from $525 to $625 a month, while the two-bedroom apartments will cost about $750. Residents must be 62 years old, project officials said.

The development came to life two years ago, when the city and developer Kaufman and Broad Multi-Housing Group began discussing ways to create affordable housing for the city’s seniors.

After locating a site, the project moved from planning to construction, with $1.5 million from the city and financial backing from Kaufman and Broad and LINC (Limited Income Communities) Housing Corp. LINC is an Irvine-based regional nonprofit affordable-housing development corporation that works with lenders, investors and developers.

“This is a great example of public and private partnership,” said Michael A. Costa, president of the Multi-Housing Group, a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Kaufman and Broad Home Corp.

Applications are now being accepted. Information: (800) 290-0277.

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Ground Broken

Project includes game room, pool nad spa.