The project would put 440 luxury apartments and 10,000 square feet of retail area into what until now has been a run-of-the-mill strip mall, he said. But with a major shopping center nearby, the kinds of businesses on the ground floor will be aimed at those who live inside, Red Oak partner Joe Flanagan said.
“This is living over coffee shops, things like that,” he said. “It’s neighborhood-serving retail.”
Red Oak isn’t the only company that got the idea to put housing near Bella Terra — the shopping center’s owners, DJM Capital Partners, have their own ideas to put in a mixed-use development complete with condos and more retail space. But the more, the merrier, Flanagan said.
“The location lends itself to that type of higher-density living,” he said. “You have everything withing walking distance, within a short bike ride. We even help Bella Terra.”
But with the economy uncertain, will six stories of apartments and commercial space succeed?
Far better than the land does currently, Flanagan said.
“There are not a lot of single family neighbors; there’s transit, there’s office buildings right there, and it’s next to a mall,” he said. “If there’s one location you can make a really good case for high-density housing, we’re on it.”
Furthermore, he said, “Huntington Beach hasn’t had class A apartments built in the last 25 years—there’s an unmet demand.”
The city is still looking for comment on the environmental impact report, available at www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us on the Planning Department’s “Major Projects” page. Comments can be sent to tnguyen@surfcity-hb.org until Aug. 21.
MICHAEL ALEXANDER may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at michael.alexander@latimes.com.
