Meta Housing, Western Community Housing Finish San Clemente Seniors Apartments
Cotton’s Point Senior Apartments, an affordable seniors housing property in San Clemente, has been completed. The 76-unit project was a joint development by Meta Housing Corp. and Western Community Housing.
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor
San Clemente, Calif.—Cotton’s Point Senior Apartments, an affordable seniors housing property in San Clemente, has been completed. The 76-unit project was a joint development by Meta Housing Corp. and Western Community Housing.
Previously the site sported an abandoned restaurant, and it had been considered blighted.
YM Architects designed a Spanish Colonial Revival-style structure to take the old building’s place, on a hillside near I-5 but also with views of the ocean and a nearby golf course.
According to Meta Housing project manager Tim Soule, the location, which is adjacent to a steep riparian ravine, posed a number of design and construction challenges. One was the fact that the property needed a low profile, so that it didn’t block neighbors’ ocean view. To deal with that, the structure was set deep into the hillside, including a subterranean parking structure.
Also, noise from the nearby freeway was a worry. The developers added a glass sound wall between the building and the road, along with sound-dampening windows, to deflect the traffic noise.
Common amenities include a community courtyard with two adjacent rooms that encourage interaction, along with fitness center, a tech room, putting green and barbeque grilling station. Residents of Cotton’s Point Senior Apartments have access to a variety of free classes and services that encourage life-long learning and wellness.
Financing for the project was a typically complicated matter. The City of San Clemente provided just over $3 million to the project, while Orange County contributed $1.65 million. The Mental Health Services Act provided $1.62 million; the State of California Multi-Housing Program provided $5.48 million; and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco’s Affordable Housing Program provided $760,000.
