BubbleLiving
New member
Has anyone had any issues with living in close proximity to affordable housing apartments in Irvine? Curious to know what your experiences have been and how affordable housing apartments have affected your community. Thanks!
Issues with Living Near Affordable Housing?
- Thread starter BubbleLiving
- Start date
NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
Yep, no prob. Specifically, CVE where there is a small area adjacent to Lantana and Tristania that is a proposed area for low income housing. The parcel of land is quite small there and after speaking with the builder's office they didn't have that much information to give about it. I tried doing my research through the forums, but no luck there either. I also couldn't find any timeline on when it will be built, it doesn't seem to be on the City of Irvine Upcoming Affordable Housing Projects list:http://www.cityofirvine.org/cmis/views/d26bea8d-3e56-4a84-a374-a20409e7107a%3B1.12
It would be nice to know more about what exactly they are building and when, but for now I'm just trying to do my research and get some insight. So, since the low income housing in CVE is something that will be built in the future I was just curious about how it is in other Irvine neighborhoods with pockets of low income housing. I know maybe the closest equivalent is Alegre in CV, but I haven't heard much about that one either and whether or not there's been any issues with having low income housing nearby.
I've lived in Stonegate and Woodbury, both relatively close to Affordable Housing. Stongate has Doria and Woodbury has a few sprinkled throughout the community. As you mentioned, if you go to Cypress Village Community Park, there's one adjacent to it, Alegre.
As I'm sure you've seen, Irvine Company does a pretty good job of 'segregating' those complexes and seems to have an extremely long waiting list while taking the time to be selective in the process. They normally don't 'look' like affordable housing, just an apartment complex. The people who stay in these affordable complexes typically have to jump through alot of hoops to be approved to live there. Therefore, more times than not, the tenants don't want to ruin the opportunity to live in a city like Irvine at a reasonable cost.
When you see all of the disclosures for CVE, you will see that the Affordable Housing tenants are not allowed to use any of the CV amenities because they will have their own within the complex. This location specifically looks like it will have it's entrance from GP Blvd (where the temp Fire Station is) and be completely gated off from the rest of CVE. From inside CVE, you'll see that the concrete is finished where the affordable housing will be, with no access from inside the community. In order for the Affordable Housing tenants to use the CVE facilities that we pay HOA for, they would have to exit GP Blvd and go all the way around to the park.
When I purchased in CVE, this was also a concern for me until I did extensive research. The pros of being near the GP, access to freeways and close to GP neighborhoods amenities was a decision maker for my family and I. Hope this helps and good luck with your home search. Feel free to ask any additional questions....
LOL if I didn't know your style is to troll on every post you make, this would have come off as strangely prejudicial.
There's affordable rental apartment complexes (like the projects proposed near the I-5 and Sand Canyon, Anton Portola, etc ) and then there's affordable housing for sale. I wasn't aware that there is an affordable housing home ownership project in Irvine--can you please tell us which of these projects are available for sale? There's some at the Tustin Legacy/Columbus Grove area, I think? Please confirm.
YellowFever
New member
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BubbleLiving
New member
YellowFever said:Can you be more specific and tell us what neighborhood you are considering and what low income housing is nearby? That way, we can provide you a more "personalized" in-depth analysis and break down of what to expect.
Yep, no prob. Specifically, CVE where there is a small area adjacent to Lantana and Tristania that is a proposed area for low income housing. The parcel of land is quite small there and after speaking with the builder's office they didn't have that much information to give about it. I tried doing my research through the forums, but no luck there either. I also couldn't find any timeline on when it will be built, it doesn't seem to be on the City of Irvine Upcoming Affordable Housing Projects list:http://www.cityofirvine.org/cmis/views/d26bea8d-3e56-4a84-a374-a20409e7107a%3B1.12
It would be nice to know more about what exactly they are building and when, but for now I'm just trying to do my research and get some insight. So, since the low income housing in CVE is something that will be built in the future I was just curious about how it is in other Irvine neighborhoods with pockets of low income housing. I know maybe the closest equivalent is Alegre in CV, but I haven't heard much about that one either and whether or not there's been any issues with having low income housing nearby.
YellowFever
New member
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BubbleLiving said:YellowFever said:Can you be more specific and tell us what neighborhood you are considering and what low income housing is nearby? That way, we can provide you a more "personalized" in-depth analysis and break down of what to expect.
Yep, no prob. Specifically, CVE where there is a small area adjacent to Lantana and Tristania that is a proposed area for low income housing. The parcel of land is quite small there and after speaking with the builder's office they didn't have that much information to give about it. I tried doing my research through the forums, but no luck there either. I also couldn't find any timeline on when it will be built, it doesn't seem to be on the City of Irvine Upcoming Affordable Housing Projects list:http://www.cityofirvine.org/cmis/views/d26bea8d-3e56-4a84-a374-a20409e7107a%3B1.12
It would be nice to know more about what exactly they are building and when, but for now I'm just trying to do my research and get some insight. So, since the low income housing in CVE is something that will be built in the future I was just curious about how it is in other Irvine neighborhoods with pockets of low income housing. I know maybe the closest equivalent is Alegre in CV, but I haven't heard much about that one either and whether or not there's been any issues with having low income housing nearby.
I've lived in Stonegate and Woodbury, both relatively close to Affordable Housing. Stongate has Doria and Woodbury has a few sprinkled throughout the community. As you mentioned, if you go to Cypress Village Community Park, there's one adjacent to it, Alegre.
As I'm sure you've seen, Irvine Company does a pretty good job of 'segregating' those complexes and seems to have an extremely long waiting list while taking the time to be selective in the process. They normally don't 'look' like affordable housing, just an apartment complex. The people who stay in these affordable complexes typically have to jump through alot of hoops to be approved to live there. Therefore, more times than not, the tenants don't want to ruin the opportunity to live in a city like Irvine at a reasonable cost.
When you see all of the disclosures for CVE, you will see that the Affordable Housing tenants are not allowed to use any of the CV amenities because they will have their own within the complex. This location specifically looks like it will have it's entrance from GP Blvd (where the temp Fire Station is) and be completely gated off from the rest of CVE. From inside CVE, you'll see that the concrete is finished where the affordable housing will be, with no access from inside the community. In order for the Affordable Housing tenants to use the CVE facilities that we pay HOA for, they would have to exit GP Blvd and go all the way around to the park.
When I purchased in CVE, this was also a concern for me until I did extensive research. The pros of being near the GP, access to freeways and close to GP neighborhoods amenities was a decision maker for my family and I. Hope this helps and good luck with your home search. Feel free to ask any additional questions....
irvinehomeshopper
Well-known member
Affordable housing actually have the same aesthetic criteria as the market rate. In fact they are better in some cases. Market rate builders do cut corner and value engineer their products. Affordable home builders are aware of NIMBYism and they do exercise the best of their ability to build and design a nice product. They have to prove to the neighbors that their communities are desirable and aesthetically pleasing. They are interested in repeats.
The homeowners are not rowdy by any mean. Just because they can't make to the same income or get a handout from parents they can't be judged as undesirable neighbors.
The qualification is very strict and the non profit entity interview and screen out the undesirables.
There are literally over 12,000 on the list waiting for a few homes that materialized. The income bracket I believe is $86,000 per household. They are the teachers that educate your children, the policemen that keep you safe, the firemen that rescue you and many more other noble professions that are not making a 6 digit salary.
I know this because I just won a competition for Habitat for Humanity to secure a project in Irvine. It's literally next to $m homes. The project is stunning!
The homeowners are not rowdy by any mean. Just because they can't make to the same income or get a handout from parents they can't be judged as undesirable neighbors.
The qualification is very strict and the non profit entity interview and screen out the undesirables.
There are literally over 12,000 on the list waiting for a few homes that materialized. The income bracket I believe is $86,000 per household. They are the teachers that educate your children, the policemen that keep you safe, the firemen that rescue you and many more other noble professions that are not making a 6 digit salary.
I know this because I just won a competition for Habitat for Humanity to secure a project in Irvine. It's literally next to $m homes. The project is stunning!
BubbleLiving
New member
Thanks Yellowfever for all the info and insight, much appreciated!
Thanks Prototype, great to hear from someone who lives in that area. Definitely helpful!
And thank you irvinehomeshopper, cool to hear from someone who works on affordable housing. Congrats on the win!
Thanks Prototype, great to hear from someone who lives in that area. Definitely helpful!
And thank you irvinehomeshopper, cool to hear from someone who works on affordable housing. Congrats on the win!
noMoneyBackin2011
Member
YellowFever said:
LOL if I didn't know your style is to troll on every post you make, this would have come off as strangely prejudicial.
mitirvine31
New member
We had same question to the sales people.
They said there is very big wait list for the affordable housing.
And they have to meet the criteria to get an apartment in that.
And btw as Irvineshopper posted, the people living in these affordable apartments are teachers, police men. They are professionals.
I have lived in an apartment which is very close by to affordable housing. Literally, i was surprised that I have never seen any people like Yellowfever explained.
Most of the Irvine communities have affordable housing.
They said there is very big wait list for the affordable housing.
And they have to meet the criteria to get an apartment in that.
And btw as Irvineshopper posted, the people living in these affordable apartments are teachers, police men. They are professionals.
I have lived in an apartment which is very close by to affordable housing. Literally, i was surprised that I have never seen any people like Yellowfever explained.
Most of the Irvine communities have affordable housing.
irvinehomeshopper
Well-known member
There is a difference between affordable housing vs government subsidized housing. Affordable housing is home ownership and subsidized housing is not. The organizations that run affordable housing operate just like a home builder.
In fact they hire well known home builders to construct the affordable projects by meeting the exact criteria as the for sale products. The home builder I teamed up with currently has the fastest selling project in Irvine and is extremely versed in building comparable products to the one I proposed.
The only difference is the overall equation is the land price. Developers typically traded favors with the city by offering a dedicated parcel of land to the City at a lowest price for added densities to the market rate products.
The construction cost for the affordable is similar to market rate but the selling price is cheaper. Its appreciation is however restricted to the same ratio.
Buyers or applicants is screened for solid credit rating and guarantee fixed qualified income. The interview process also considered family compatibility with future neighbors.
In fact they hire well known home builders to construct the affordable projects by meeting the exact criteria as the for sale products. The home builder I teamed up with currently has the fastest selling project in Irvine and is extremely versed in building comparable products to the one I proposed.
The only difference is the overall equation is the land price. Developers typically traded favors with the city by offering a dedicated parcel of land to the City at a lowest price for added densities to the market rate products.
The construction cost for the affordable is similar to market rate but the selling price is cheaper. Its appreciation is however restricted to the same ratio.
Buyers or applicants is screened for solid credit rating and guarantee fixed qualified income. The interview process also considered family compatibility with future neighbors.
Now, I am going to say the following with the caveat that I don't know if my experience with housing projects would be directly applicable in Irvine.
BUT...
in my experience, coming from a city with many housing projects, and having gone to school/work in close proximity to them, and walking past multiple projects in the course of my previous life, the natural history of a housing project is that they often start off nice. The first residents are so grateful to get the chance to live at a below market rate in a nice place...The big question is what happens over the long run? Some degrade. A lot. This pattern can be seen in many of the older cities in the Northeast. Now Irvine is so new right now, its hard to say what will happen in 30 years. Think about Garden Grove, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Westminster, so many of the Northern OC communities which at one point were also nice new middle class suburbs...
I think there's a big difference between having a few affordable units scattered here and there within mostly market rate complexes (which is the more common scenario in irvine) and having a whole complex dedicated to all low/very low income. The danger is if you get enough bad apples within the complex that creates a bad vibe that drives away all the decent folks who have jobs that just happen to not pay a lot.
There's also a big difference between moderate income housing (targeting middle class like teachers, firefighters and law enforcement though I though there were definitely cops and firefighters who make over six figures with overtime? someone please correct me if I'm wrong) and very low/extremely low income (very low income cut off for a family of 4 is 48,750 per year, for example, at the Anton Portola complex). There are different income categories and you can find the cut offs on-line. You should try to find out what income categories that particular project is targeted for, how many units for each, and what is the mix of market to affordable, if possible. Also, not all affordable projects take section 8. Some do. yes, Section 8 exists in Irvine. You should try to look up those specifics if possible.
Of course, this may not be so important unless you're thinking about the long term value of your property, like 20-30 years. I would hesitate to buy a high end house near affordable housing, like Altair at Portola Springs. But if you're buying a condo and thinking about moving and renting out your place in a few years, then it may not matter so much to you. Many neighborhoods with starter homes/condos end up eventually becoming renter dominated in Irvine, it seems like, further contributing to a more transitory neighborhood feel, coupled with the presence of the apartment complexes and affordable housing nearby.
At any rate living in an area that has a high concentration of these types of projects probably will impact test scores in your neighborhood school. Which will impact your property value, especially in Irvine, since overseas Chinese buyers can't seem to see past test scores. Now personally, I know that school test scores do not actually mean that much about the quality of the teachers and the school itself, but instead is correlated with the socio-economics of its student body. But it seems that many would be buyers can not get past this.
When my parents first moved to Irvine, they rented an apartment in Windwood Glen from IAC, which has a few affordable apartments mixed in with the market rate apartments. They said that they did not like to walk around the complex at night because there were groups of young men (who lived there, I guess) quite loud, somewhat rough looking, etc, hanging out late at night without any apparent purpose, directly outside their ground floor unit. They said they didn't feel quite safe in their ground floor unit with patio, but due to age/disability couldn't handle stairs.
BUT...
in my experience, coming from a city with many housing projects, and having gone to school/work in close proximity to them, and walking past multiple projects in the course of my previous life, the natural history of a housing project is that they often start off nice. The first residents are so grateful to get the chance to live at a below market rate in a nice place...The big question is what happens over the long run? Some degrade. A lot. This pattern can be seen in many of the older cities in the Northeast. Now Irvine is so new right now, its hard to say what will happen in 30 years. Think about Garden Grove, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Westminster, so many of the Northern OC communities which at one point were also nice new middle class suburbs...
I think there's a big difference between having a few affordable units scattered here and there within mostly market rate complexes (which is the more common scenario in irvine) and having a whole complex dedicated to all low/very low income. The danger is if you get enough bad apples within the complex that creates a bad vibe that drives away all the decent folks who have jobs that just happen to not pay a lot.
There's also a big difference between moderate income housing (targeting middle class like teachers, firefighters and law enforcement though I though there were definitely cops and firefighters who make over six figures with overtime? someone please correct me if I'm wrong) and very low/extremely low income (very low income cut off for a family of 4 is 48,750 per year, for example, at the Anton Portola complex). There are different income categories and you can find the cut offs on-line. You should try to find out what income categories that particular project is targeted for, how many units for each, and what is the mix of market to affordable, if possible. Also, not all affordable projects take section 8. Some do. yes, Section 8 exists in Irvine. You should try to look up those specifics if possible.
Of course, this may not be so important unless you're thinking about the long term value of your property, like 20-30 years. I would hesitate to buy a high end house near affordable housing, like Altair at Portola Springs. But if you're buying a condo and thinking about moving and renting out your place in a few years, then it may not matter so much to you. Many neighborhoods with starter homes/condos end up eventually becoming renter dominated in Irvine, it seems like, further contributing to a more transitory neighborhood feel, coupled with the presence of the apartment complexes and affordable housing nearby.
At any rate living in an area that has a high concentration of these types of projects probably will impact test scores in your neighborhood school. Which will impact your property value, especially in Irvine, since overseas Chinese buyers can't seem to see past test scores. Now personally, I know that school test scores do not actually mean that much about the quality of the teachers and the school itself, but instead is correlated with the socio-economics of its student body. But it seems that many would be buyers can not get past this.
When my parents first moved to Irvine, they rented an apartment in Windwood Glen from IAC, which has a few affordable apartments mixed in with the market rate apartments. They said that they did not like to walk around the complex at night because there were groups of young men (who lived there, I guess) quite loud, somewhat rough looking, etc, hanging out late at night without any apparent purpose, directly outside their ground floor unit. They said they didn't feel quite safe in their ground floor unit with patio, but due to age/disability couldn't handle stairs.
irvinehomeshopper said:
There's affordable rental apartment complexes (like the projects proposed near the I-5 and Sand Canyon, Anton Portola, etc ) and then there's affordable housing for sale. I wasn't aware that there is an affordable housing home ownership project in Irvine--can you please tell us which of these projects are available for sale? There's some at the Tustin Legacy/Columbus Grove area, I think? Please confirm.
YellowFever
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YellowFever
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YellowFever
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YellowFever
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