A 159-unit senior care facility got enough of the Huntington Beach City Council’s support this week to move ahead.
The approval will pave the way for a four-story Bolsa Chica Senior Care Community project to be built on the 4900 block of Warner Avenue. Residents at the facility will get continuous medical care, with 134 assisted living units and 25 meant for those needing memory care.
The project was narrowly approved in a 4-3 vote, with Councilmembers Rhonda Bolton, Dan Kalmick, Natalie Moser and Tony Strickland giving their support.
Strickland, who broke with his conservative colleagues on the vote, said the city’s senior population is growing rapidly and this was not a residential apartment, but an assisted living facility.
“High density (housing) creates public safety and crime problems to the city,” Strickland said. “This is not that … If it was, this would be an easy no vote for me.”
The final project had been scaled down from prior plans that had it at five stories with 202 units, some of which would have been independent living.
The developers told the council that the average age for residents is expected to be 80 to 85. Almost 19% of Huntington Beach’s population is over 65 years old, more than 2% higher than the statewide average, according to data from the U.S. Census.
Tom Lawless, a developer on the project with real investment firm Hines, said Huntington Beach needs more elder care. Christopher Hilbert, who works for Clearwater Living, which will be the operator, said the growing senior population will outpace the amount of assisted living facilities being developed.
The facility will be set on 3 acres of space near apartments and single-family homes. Existing retail space at the site will be demolished to build the four-story building, which developers stressed only three stories would be visible from the street.
The Bolsa Chica Senior Care Community project will have an underground parking garage, activity space and dining facilities.
Councilmembers who voted against the project said it was too big for the area and needed to be smaller to get their support.
“Either make the project smaller or go find a bigger property,” Councilmember Casey McKeon said. “It’s essentially putting 10 pounds in a 7-pound bag.”
The project also received narrow approval in a 4-3 vote from the Planning Commission in September.
City staff told the council that the project wouldn’t count toward Huntington Beach’s housing mandated from the state because none of the homes at the Bolsa Chica Senior Care Community will be for independent living.
