As cities throughout Orange County struggle to build enough affordable housing mandated by Sacramento, Buena Park officials are eying old commercial properties in an effort to hit those goals.
It comes as cities across the Golden State figure out how to best hit the state’s directive in an effort to curb the housing crisis – a lofty goal many local officials say is too much.
[Read: Half of Orange County Lacks State Approved Housing Plans as HB Reignites Debate on Mandates]
Now, Buena Park City Council members are laying the groundwork to build more affordable housing by targeting old commercial properties despite residents raising safety and parking concerns in the city’s efforts to build new homes.
It comes after city officials approved redevelopment of the long-struggling Buena Park Mall last year.
“We need housing because the population in this state is growing,” Mayor Susan Sonne said in a Nov. 28 text message, adding that people need more housing options. “But some cities have created this situation for all of us by refusing to build housing.”
Other cities are also targeting malls, strip malls and various other commercial properties in an effort to hit the state-mandated housing goals.
[Read: Are Aging Malls Key to Boosting Affordable Housing Opportunities Across Southern California?]
Most recently, Santa Ana City Council members approved redevelopment of the Metro Town Square Mall across the street from South Coast Plaza a couple months ago.
[Read: Another Orange County Mall Will be Turned Into Homes in Santa Ana]
Buena Park Councilman Connor Traut said in a Tuesday text that younger residents have “little options” when looking for affordable housing, and seniors are “being priced out of the county they’ve known and loved their whole lives.”
He added “If you work full time in Orange County, you should be able to afford to live in Orange County.”
Building Affordable Housing in Buena Park
“I don’t know about most of you – I couldn’t buy my house today, the house that I bought 25 years ago,” said Mayor Sonne during a Nov. 12 city council meeting.
During that meeting, Buena City Council members unanimously voted in favor of redeveloping an old commercial property into 93 townhomes, including 14 affordable units.
The development – located on the southeast corner of Dale Street and La Palma Avenue – came just two weeks after Buena Park city officials approved the final phase of another city housing project.
Referred to in city reports as “The Project,” the property located on Lincoln Avenue and Knott Avenue was formerly a commercial building, but then was approved for a 55-unit affordable housing development after Buena Park City Council backed a zoning change for the property in September 2023.
Like other Orange County cities, Buena Park city officials are grappling with concerns from residents and businesses about safety and traffic issues.
But Councilman Art Brown highlighted that the concerns don’t remove the state housing mandates.
[Read: California’s Housing Mandates: One Size Fits All? It Depends Who You Ask]
Under the state housing mandate, Buena Park officials are expected to zone for nearly 9,000 new homes by 2029.
“It doesn’t make a difference what the other cities do, we still have a state mandate put on us,” Brown said at the Nov. 12 regular council meeting, later adding that if the City Council stalled on new housing projects that Buena Park “could be sued by the state.”
Other cities have tried fighting back against the mandates through lawsuits, like Huntington Beach.
Most recently, Surf City lost its lawsuit against California’s housing mandate in federal appeals court this October after a Ninth Circuit court ruled that the city didn’t have the power to sue the state.
The city is currently appealing the case to the broader Ninth Circuit Court, and city Attorney Michael Gates has vowed to appeal the case to the Supreme Court if necessary.
[Read: Federal Appeals Court Slaps Down Huntington Beach’s Anti Housing Lawsuit]
In May, a San Diego Superior Court judge also ruled that Huntington Beach violated the state’s housing mandates and called on them to create a housing plan, but the city is also appealing the case and has not yet brought forward a plan.
The city of Huntington Beach was sued by state regulators last year after failing to provide a housing plan to provide affordable homes, missing several deadlines to do so.
[Read: What Happens To Cities That Defy California’s Housing Mandates?]
Weighing Concerns Against New Housing
Councilwoman Joyce Ahn said at the Nov. 12 meeting said residents will adjust to the increased traffic from new housing developments and the new residents will bolster local businesses.
“We all got used to it, got used to the traffic, and got used to all the numbers of people in our community,” Ahn said, later adding that businesses in Buena Park also saw increased sales.
Despite concerns from residents – particularly potential traffic and parking issues — Sonne said in a text message that Buena Park City Council “never make decisions that make everyone happy.”
“The most practical approach means everyone has a seat at the table,” Sonne said, referring to residents, local businesses, city planners and housing developers to have a say on how properties get turned into affordable housing.
“But we must do our best to provide for the possibility of the best outcome for long-time residents as well as new ones.”
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss.