WILDOMAR, CA - The young city of Wildomar took a step toward addressing the needs of its oldest residents this week by approving a 209-unit senior housing complex to be built at Catt and Arnett roads. If the developer secures government funding, construction could begin on the former ranch site as early as November. That would make 80 apartments available in January 2011 to low- to moderate-income seniors who meet government income qualifications, said William Leach, a project director for the builder, Palm Desert Development.
Once finished, the $47 million project would feature 10 two-story buildings, 243 parking spaces, a computer facility, gym, library, recreation center and pool.
Leach expects that public funds earmarked for affordable housing will cover about 85 percent of the building costs.
The City Council allowed a change in land use from rural residential to general residential to accommodate the project's higher density.
Mayor Scott Farnam acknowledged that switching to higher-density zoning could be controversial in a town with rural sensibilities.
However, he said the project seemed a perfect fit for the location - next to a residential housing tract, close to a bus stop and across from a shopping center.
"If you have a shopping center next to high-density residential, people can walk to the grocery store or to get their hair cut. Then you don't have so many people jumping in their cars and driving," Farnam said.
The site is an example of the mismatched zoning that still exists in the county's general plan, which the new city must rely on until it tailors its own general plan, Farnam said.
The property sits on a patch of rural residential zoning, sandwiched between a medium higher-density zone and a commercial zone - not the most compatible neighbors, he said.
Farnam said Wildomar residents are not fans of high density development.
"They look more for the rural flavor and atmosphere," he said. "We want to preserve that as must as possible, but we are also mandated by the state to have so much affordable housing. We have to walk that fine line."
The City Council also took into consideration the high demand for affordable senior housing in Wildomar and throughout Riverside County.
Leach said waiting lists have always been long for every senior housing project he's worked on with Palm Desert Development. He estimated that for every 100 senior units the company builds, there is typically a waiting list of about 200 people within six months of opening.
Leach added that with the gloomy economic forecast the demand for affordable housing will likely increase. "A lot of seniors are living off pension plans that need to perform in the stock or bond market," he said. "Governmental programs are often a part of their income. So right now their income is less stable."
Source: PE.com