Irvine, CA – Jamboree Housing Corporation, one of California’s leading community development organizations specializing in affordable housing, announced today the grand opening of the second phase of Doria Apartment Homes in Irvine. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Thursday, February 20 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Program participants include Irvine Mayor Dr. Steven Choi and Irvine City Council members and staff, representatives from the Irvine Community Land Trust (ICLT), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Jamboree executives.
Located in the Stonegate Village and designed for families who earn 30% to 60% of area median income (AMI), the second phase of Doria Apartment Homes encompasses 74 apartment homes. The first phase of Doria has 60 apartments and was completed in late 2011. Doria features three-story, garden-style buildings designed around a central courtyard and its Spanish Colonial-inspired architecture integrates seamlessly with the aesthetic fabric of the surrounding Stonegate community.
“The last six months were notable for Jamboree, especially here in Orange County,” said Laura Archuleta, president of Jamboree. “In addition to Doria, we completed two other projects in Orange County that had a huge impact on workforce housing production.” Those two projects are Park Landing Apartment Homes in Buena Park and Birch Hills Apartment Homes in Brea, which along with Doria Phase II add 259 apartment units to Orange County’s affordable housing inventory.
Doria is the first rental property to be developed and completed by Jamboree in joint venture with the Irvine Community Land Trust, the only land trust established by a cooperative municipality in Southern California. Together, the two Doria phases include 20 apartment homes for residents with special needs, with funding provided by the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) administered by the County of Orange.
“Doria is in step with the national healthy communities movement, promoted by such organizations as the Urban Land Institute, that encourages development of quality housing within walkable neighborhoods that are near parks and recreation facilities, and abundant green space,” said Archuleta. Developed by The Irvine Company and designed for exercise and a healthy lifestyle, Stonegate Village encompasses seven neighborhood parks connected by lushly landscaped pedestrian paths. Parks feature softball/youth baseball fields with a soccer overlay, basketball courts, tennis and sand volleyball courts, tot lots, shade structures, barbecues and picnic tables. Some parks also include junior Olympic-sized pools with spas, wading pools, and lap pools.
The City of Irvine shares in Jamboree’s enthusiasm about Doria. In the wake of the demise of redevelopment funding, public/private collaboration between the City, the Irvine Community Land Trust, The Irvine Company and developers such as Jamboree is why Irvine continues to boast one of the highest ratios of affordable housing units to market-rate housing in Orange County, according to the Orange County Business Council’s 2012 Workforce Housing Scorecard, its latest report. The completion of Doria Phase II is a strategic step in realizing the City’s and Land Trust’s goal to provide 5,000 new units of permanent affordable housing in Irvine by 2025.
Ray Brewer, Field Office Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), further underscored the national need for affordable housing. “More than 12 million home owners in the United States spend more than 50% of their income for housing alone. Individually, each of us makes a small difference. But Doria is a great example of how all of us together can make a really big difference for families in need of housing they can afford.”
Known for its resourcefulness with the use of public/private partnerships, Jamboree’s development of Doria is a premier example of creative financing to fund workforce housing in the post-redevelopment environment. Archuleta pointed out that a variety of funding sources were tapped to complete Doria.
Located at 1000 Crested Bird and developed at a cost of $19.9 million, Doria Phase II financing consists of $6.3.million in tax credit equity from the Irvine Company; $1.6 million in construction financing from Irvine Community Land Trust; $599,853 in construction and permanent financing from the City of Irvine; $1.17 million in construction/permanent financing from the County of Orange; $1.1 million in permanent financing from the California Housing Finance Agency (Mental Health Services Act); $380,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds along with $900,000 of HOME funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and $12.9 million in construction and permanent financing from U.S. Bank.
“The County is proud of the successful integration of Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) housing in both phases at Doria, made possible for Phase II in part by the $1.1 million in State MHSA funding and the commitment of 10 Project-Based Housing Choice Vouchers from the Orange County Housing Authority”, said Karen Roper, Director, Orange County Community Services.
Doria Phase II is one of five affordable housing developments in Orange County which incorporates State MHSA funding towards the County’s goal of creating 185 homes for special needs residents; 10 of the 83 State MHSA- funded units to date have been developed by Jamboree. Roper noted that, “Jamboree has been successful in partnering with the County to deliver much needed quality affordable special needs housing throughout Orange County. This is yet another example of aligning resources to end homelessness in Orange County.”
With the completion of the second phase, Doria now encompasses a total of 134 apartment homes. Residents have ample space to gather in the existing 3,000-square-foot Doria community center that features both large and small meeting areas, management offices, a kitchen, computer lab, and tot lot. The adjacent community center pool features a handicap lift.
In Jamboree’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, Doria’s Phase II is designed to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) for Homes certified Gold rating. This lowers energy consumption, provides a cost-saving benefit, and promotes the health of residents. The LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark promoted by the U.S. Green Building Council for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Each Doria home is equipped with an ENERGY STAR refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and stove, and the property exceeds California’s Title 24 energy efficiency standards by 15%. Parking includes a combination of tuck- under garages, on-grade spaces and stand-alone garage buildings.
Resident services are provided onsite by Jamboree’s Resident Services Group. Offered at more than 30 of its properties, Jamboree’s onsite resident services coordinator will provide services tailored to the specific needs of Doria residents that foster learning, health, and community building to enrich their quality of life. The inclusion of fully funded, ongoing supportive services will enable the handful of residents with special needs to live in permanent housing. The Orange County Healthcare Agency will assist residents with 24/7 support of daily living activities, job placement assistance, and links to other supportive and independent living services. HOMES, Jamboree’s Resident Services Group for Special Needs, ensures that services are customized and supplement services provided by Telecare South, the Orange County Healthcare Agency’s Full-Service Partner, to meet the needs of these residents.
KTGY Group, Inc. created Doria’s architectural design. MJS Design Group designed the landscape architecture. Wermers Multi-Family Corporation served as the General Contractor.