Ground Broken on Affordable Housing in Irvine
Affordable housing specialist Jamboree Housing Corp. has broken ground on the second phase of Doria Apartment Homes in Irvine, Calif.
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor
Irvine, Calif.—Affordable housing specialist Jamboree Housing Corp. has broken ground on the second phase of Doria Apartment Homes in Irvine, Calif. The second phase will include 74 apartments and is the company’s second workforce housing development in partnership with the Irvine Community Land Trust.
Irvine Community Land Trust is the only land trust established by a cooperative municipality in southern California. According to the trust, Doria Phase II is a step in realizing the land its goal to provide 5,000 new units of permanent affordable housing in the city by 2025.
In addition, the county continues its goal to integrate special needs housing in both phases at Doria, made possible in Phase II in part by $1.1 million in Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funding and the commitment of 10 Project-Based Housing Choice Vouchers from the Orange County Housing Authority. Doria Phase II is the third affordable housing project in Orange County to incorporate MHSA funding towards the county’s goal of creating 185 homes for special needs residents; nearly 20 percent of these residences have been developed by Jamboree.
Doria Apartment Homes is designed for families who earn 30 percent to 60 percent of area median income. The property is a part of the Stonegate planned community being developed by the Irvine Co. in northern Irvine. When completed in November 2013, the entire development will include a total of 134 units.
Doria Phase II is designed to achieve LEED Silver. The property exceeds California’s Title 24 energy efficiency standards by about 15 percent, and among other sustainable features, each unit is equipped with an Energy Star refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and stove.
“Residents benefit from services such as on site such as health and nutritional guidance, after-school tutoring, special needs services, and recreational amenities such as tot lots, a swimming pool and vegetable gardens,” David Obitz, principal with KTGY Group Inc., which designed the facility, tells MHN. They will also have space to gather in the existing 3,000-square-foot community center.
