By Eric Engelbert | September 2026
80 Senior Apartments and an Assisted Living Facility, One Block Apart from Each Other on the Same Site
Most senior housing developments in Orange County are one thing or the other: an independent-living apartment community for active seniors, or a licensed assisted living facility for those who need help with daily tasks. The project approved for 11432 and 11462 Stanford Avenue in Garden Grove is both, on the same 0.94-acre lot, in the same six-story building.
Developer William Jager received unanimous Planning Commission approval on October 3, 2024 for a mixed-use senior campus pairing 80 apartment units with an 82-bed Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE). Four of the apartments will be affordable for very-low-income seniors. The site is at the southeast corner of Stanford Avenue and 8th Street in Garden Grove's Civic Center district, two blocks from the H. Louis Lake Senior Center and two blocks from Garden Grove High School.
The dual-use structure is the most distinctive feature of the project. By placing independent senior apartments and licensed assisted living on the same property, the development creates a continuum of care model where a senior can live independently in an apartment and transition to the adjacent RCFE if their needs change, without relocating. For Garden Grove's aging population, which is growing faster than local senior housing supply, this format addresses two gaps at once.
The Site at 11432 and 11462 Stanford Avenue: What Is There Now
The project occupies two parcels at the southeast corner of Stanford Avenue and 8th Street, addressed as 11432 Stanford Avenue and 11462 Stanford Avenue. The combined site is 0.94 net acres (1.14 gross acres). Both parcels front on Stanford Avenue, with additional frontage on 8th Street to the west and 9th Street to the east, giving the site a roughly triangular shape with three street exposures.
Four unoccupied single-family residential buildings currently sit on the two parcels. Those structures will be demolished entirely to clear the site for the new six-story development. No occupied units are being displaced. The parcels are being consolidated into a single lot through a Tentative Parcel Map (PM-2023-156) as part of the project, and that combined lot is then further subdivided for condominium purposes to legally separate the RCFE component from the apartment building.
The surrounding neighborhood is a mixture of lower-density residential uses to the north, east, and south, with professional office uses across 8th Street to the west. One block northeast along 9th Street is OC Grace Church. Two blocks west is the H. Louis Lake Senior Center, Garden Grove's primary public senior services facility. Two blocks northwest is Garden Grove High School. City Hall and the Garden Grove Civic Center complex are in the immediate area along Stanford Avenue and Acacia Parkway, making this the geographic heart of the city's institutional and civic infrastructure.
Project Details: 11432 and 11462 Stanford Avenue
| Addresses | 11432 and 11462 Stanford Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92840 |
|---|---|
| Case Numbers | SP-144-2024, CUP-267-2024, IOU-006-2024, PM-2023-156 |
| Location | Southeast corner of Stanford Avenue and 8th Street |
| Zone | CC-3 (Civic Center Core) |
| General Plan | CC (Civic Center Mixed Use) |
| Site Area | 0.94 net acres (1.14 gross acres), two parcels consolidated |
| Senior Apartment Units | 80 units total (4 affordable for very-low-income seniors) |
| RCFE Beds | 82 beds (Residential Care Facility for the Elderly) |
| Building Height | 6 stories |
| Parking Structure | 2 levels: 1 subterranean + 1 above-ground; minimum 24 spaces reserved for RCFE staff and visitors |
| Existing Structures | 4 unoccupied single-family buildings (to be demolished) |
| Density Bonus | Yes (20%), per State Density Bonus Law; waivers and concessions granted |
| Developer | William Jager, 872 Wendt Terrace, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 |
| CEQA Status | Exempt (Section 15332, In-Fill Development Projects) |
| Planning Commission Vote | Unanimous, 5-0 (October 3, 2024, Resolution No. 6098-24) |
What Is an RCFE, and How Is It Different from the Senior Apartments?
California licenses two distinct categories of senior housing that are frequently confused: independent senior apartments and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly. They differ in what they provide, who licenses them, and what residents pay.
Senior Apartments (Independent Living)
The 80-unit senior apartment building at 11432 Stanford Avenue is an age-restricted residential complex, meaning it is legally designated for seniors, typically those 55 or 62 and older depending on the qualifying standards. Residents live in their own self-contained units and manage their own daily lives. They pay market-rate or affordable rent like any apartment tenant. The building may offer common amenities such as a community room, fitness center, or on-site management, but no personal care services are provided as part of the tenancy. These apartments are regulated under California fair housing law and the State Density Bonus Law.
RCFE / Assisted Living (the 82-Bed Facility)
The 82-bed RCFE is a licensed care facility regulated by the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. RCFEs, commonly called assisted living facilities, provide non-medical assistance with activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, grooming, meals, medication management, and social programming. Residents typically pay a monthly fee that covers room, board, and care services. RCFEs are not skilled nursing facilities, which require licensed medical staff. They serve seniors who need some support but do not require hospital-level care.
Why Combine Them on One Site?
The logic is continuity. A senior living independently in one of the apartments can transition to the adjacent RCFE if their health or mobility changes, without leaving the same campus. Spouses or partners at different care levels can live in close proximity. Family members visiting can access both parts of the campus. For the developer, combining the two uses on one site maximizes the land's capacity to serve the senior market at multiple price points and care levels, while sharing the cost of a single parking structure and site infrastructure.
The project required an Interpretation of Use (IOU-006-2024) because RCFEs are not explicitly listed as a permitted use in the CC-3 zone. The city's planning staff determined that RCFE operations are compatible with the Civic Center Core district's intent, and the Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit (CUP-267-2024) to govern how the RCFE may operate on the site.
Four Affordable Units and the Density Bonus That Made This Work
The CC-3 (Civic Center Core) zone allows residential development at a base density of 60 dwelling units per acre. On 1.14 gross acres, that translates to approximately 68 base units. By designating four units for very-low-income seniors, the project qualifies for a 20 percent density bonus under California's State Density Bonus Law, which raises the maximum allowable units to approximately 83 on this site. The project proposes 80 units, well within that ceiling.
The density bonus also entitles the developer to concessions and waivers from development standards that would otherwise limit the project. For a six-story building on a 0.94-acre corner lot with a two-level parking structure and an attached RCFE, those waivers are essential to making the physical design work within standard setbacks and lot coverage requirements.
The four affordable apartments are deed-restricted for 55 years from the date of the certificate of occupancy, ensuring that very-low-income senior residents continue to have access to below-market housing at this location for the foreseeable future. Very-low income in Orange County means households earning 50 percent of Area Median Income or below, or approximately $84,600 per year for a four-person household as of 2025. Maximum rents on the affordable units are calculated to ensure housing costs do not exceed 30 percent of qualifying income.
The Civic Center District: Why Garden Grove Is Building Senior Housing Here
The CC-3 (Civic Center Core) zone covers the area surrounding Garden Grove's city government campus, including City Hall, the Community Meeting Center, and civic offices along Acacia Parkway and Stanford Avenue. The city's General Plan designates this area as Civic Center Mixed Use, a land use category intended to allow a mix of office, residential, and civic uses that support and activate the district during and after business hours.
Senior housing in the Civic Center district makes particular sense given the cluster of services already nearby. The H. Louis Lake Senior Center, two blocks west at 11300 Stanford Avenue, is Garden Grove's main hub for senior programming, social services, and meals. Garden Grove Hospital is within a short drive. Public transit connections along Stanford Avenue and Chapman Avenue provide car-free mobility for seniors who no longer drive. The walkable, low-traffic character of the residential streets south of Stanford Avenue suits an older demographic that values walkability over nightlife proximity.
The 11432 Stanford site is also within walking distance of the Garden Grove Community Meeting Center, the library, and Garden Grove High School, whose sports facilities and programming occasionally intersect with city senior events. For an 80-unit senior apartment building, the density of public services within a 10-minute walk is genuinely strong for an Orange County suburban location.
William Jager: Garden Grove's Most Active Multifamily Developer
William Jager is a Laguna Beach-based developer who has become arguably the most active single practitioner of State Density Bonus Law entitlement in Garden Grove. In a single Planning Commission hearing on October 3, 2024, Jager received unanimous approval for two separate projects: the 80-unit senior apartment and RCFE at 11432 Stanford Avenue and a 98-unit, seven-story apartment complex at 9891-9901 Garden Grove Boulevard. He also has a 36-unit apartment project on Coast Street in active review.
Jager's approach is consistent across all three Garden Grove projects: assemble small infill parcels in appropriately zoned corridors, designate a qualifying share of units for very-low-income households to trigger the State Density Bonus Law, and use the resulting density bonus and waivers to build six or seven stories where standard zoning would cap projects at much lower density. The Stanford Avenue project adds a dimension the others do not have: the licensed RCFE component, which required a separate Interpretation of Use and Conditional Use Permit, and which positions the project to serve seniors who need more support than an independent apartment can provide.
Across his Garden Grove portfolio alone, Jager's approved projects account for more than 210 residential units and 82 RCFE beds, making him a meaningful contributor to the city's RHNA housing obligation at a time when the city has limited other large-scale residential development in its pipeline.
Frequently Asked Questions About 11432 Stanford Avenue
When will the Stanford Avenue senior apartments open?
The entitlement was approved October 3, 2024. No public groundbreaking date has been announced as of September 2026. Demolition of the four existing structures and plan check review must precede construction. A six-story mixed-use building with a parking structure and a licensed RCFE component carries a more complex permitting path than a standard apartment building, so the timeline from approval to opening may run three to four years from entitlement. Construction is not expected to start before 2026 at the earliest.
Will the RCFE be open to the public or only to apartment residents?
The 82-bed RCFE is a separate licensed facility open to any qualifying senior, not exclusively to residents of the adjacent apartment building. RCFEs in California operate on a state license and serve residents based on care need and ability to pay, not residency in an adjacent building. However, the physical co-location of the two facilities will likely make the campus attractive to seniors interested in transitioning between care levels without relocating.
Who can live in the senior apartments?
The apartments are age-restricted housing. The specific age eligibility threshold (typically 55+ or 62+) will be established in the lease agreements and recorded affordability covenants. The four affordable units are reserved for seniors whose household income is at or below 50 percent of Orange County's Area Median Income. The remaining market-rate units will rent to any senior who meets the age requirement and standard rental qualifications.
Is there parking at 11432 Stanford Avenue?
Yes. The building includes a two-level parking structure: one subterranean level and one above-ground level. At least 24 parking spaces within the structure are permanently reserved for RCFE staff and visitors, enforced through lease provisions binding on apartment residents.
Senior Housing in Garden Grove: A Growing Market
Garden Grove's senior population is growing faster than its senior housing inventory. Projects like the Stanford Avenue campus address that gap from two directions at once: independent apartments for active seniors and licensed assisted living for those who need more support, on a single site in a neighborhood built around public services. As more of these projects move from entitlement to construction, they will reshape the options available to Garden Grove seniors and the families helping them plan for the next stage of life.
Whether you are a senior evaluating housing options, an adult child helping a parent plan a move, or a real estate investor tracking Garden Grove's multifamily pipeline, reach out anytime.
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