Posted July 2026 | By Eric Engelbert | Updated as the project progresses.
98 Apartments Approved on Garden Grove Boulevard: Seven Stories Replace a Former Auto Brake Shop
For nearly 35 years, the corner stretch of Garden Grove Boulevard between Galway Street and Brookhurst Way was occupied by Vodie's Alignment and Brakes, an auto shop that had operated on the site since 1985 and shut its doors in 2021. The original building dates to 1939. When the property sold to Lowden Real Estate Investments, LLC shortly after the auto shop vacated, the intended direction was not hard to read: the site sits in Garden Grove's GGMU-3 zone, which allows residential development up to seven stories along Garden Grove Boulevard, and the parcel's 1.35-acre footprint was large enough to support a substantial residential program.
Site Plan No. SP-145-2024 and Lot Line Adjustment No. LLA-033-2024, filed by applicant William D. Jager of The Jager Co., propose to replace the former auto shop with a seven-story, 98-unit apartment building at 9891, 9897, and 9901 Garden Grove Boulevard. The Planning Commission approved the project 5-0 on October 3, 2024. An environmental appeal filed by SAFER was denied by the City Council on January 14, 2025, completing the entitlement process.
The Site: Garden Grove Boulevard Between Galway and Brookhurst
Garden Grove Boulevard is the city's primary mixed-use commercial corridor, running east-west through a central portion of the city and anchoring neighborhoods that have historically mixed retail, service commercial, and residential uses in close proximity. The GGMU-3 zone that governs this stretch of the boulevard was designed specifically to enable the kind of transit-adjacent, pedestrian-oriented residential development that the City of Garden Grove identified in its General Plan as a priority for this corridor. Building heights up to 75 feet and residential densities up to 48 units per acre are permitted by right under GGMU-3, and the zone's design standards require boulevard-facing ground-floor treatment that creates an active, walkable street edge.
The project site sits on the north side of Garden Grove Boulevard. An automotive service and repair business abuts the site on its east, a truck accessory and camper shell business on its west, and a multi-family apartment project along its northern boundary. To the south, across Garden Grove Boulevard, is a commercial strip mall. The immediate neighbors are a mix of the older commercial uses that have dominated this stretch of the boulevard for decades and newer residential infill that began to arrive as the GGMU corridor zoning took effect.
The two parcels being combined by the lot line adjustment have a total net area of 58,753 square feet. Parcel 1, on the east side, is 17,500 square feet; Parcel 2, on the west, is 35,000 square feet net (41,253 gross). Consolidating the two into one legal lot is a prerequisite for developing a unified building across the combined site.
Seven Stories, 98 Units, and a Podium Full of Amenities
The building is structured as five stories of residential apartments over two levels of parking garage, totaling seven stories and a height of 79 feet. The project provides 120 parking spaces, five more than the minimum required under the Density Bonus Law parking reduction provisions, with the surplus designated as guest parking. Access to the site is via a shared drive aisle along Garden Grove Boulevard on the westerly side of the building, leading to the gated garage at grade level with a ramp accessing the second garage level. Fire truck access and turnaround are accommodated through the shared drive aisle to the rear of the site.
Apartment units are located on stories three through seven, accessed by interior corridors. Units range across four floor plan types, from one to three bedrooms and one to two bathrooms, with living areas between 656 and 1,132 square feet. Every unit includes a private deck accessed from the living room, with decks ranging from 90 to 95 square feet.
The third floor serves as the project's primary amenity level. Outdoor amenity areas on the podium include barbeques with table seating, a community garden, an outdoor yoga area, in-ground spas, fire pit tables, lounge seating, raised planters, and artificial turf areas. Two indoor common spaces adjacent to the outdoor areas offer workstations, an indoor yoga room, and a clubhouse with a kitchen. Additional common amenities include a community conference room, multi-purpose room, media room, flex room, and common restrooms. On-grade at the rear of the site are two half basketball courts, bench seating, and landscaping.
The architecture is contemporary in style, with a white and brown color scheme incorporating stucco, brick veneer, metal cladding, and synthetic board exterior materials, vinyl windows, awnings, canopies, and storefront glazing along Garden Grove Boulevard. The third through seventh stories are stepped back approximately 20 feet from the street on the front elevation to create a human-scaled quality at street level.
1 to 3 bedrooms
1 to 2 bathrooms
656 to 1,132 SF
over 2 parking levels
79'-0" height
Contemporary style
115 required (DBL)
5 guest spaces surplus
Gated garage
88 market rate
Density Bonus Law
Deed restricted
| Project Address | 9891, 9897, and 9901 Garden Grove Boulevard, Garden Grove, CA |
|---|---|
| Case Numbers | Site Plan No. SP-145-2024 and Lot Line Adjustment No. LLA-033-2024 |
| Total Units | 98 apartments (10 very low-income, 88 market rate) |
| Building Height | 7 stories (5 residential + 2 parking), 79'-0" |
| Site Size | 1.35 acres gross (58,753 SF combined) |
| Zoning | GGMU-3 (Garden Grove Boulevard Mixed Use 3) |
| General Plan | RC3 (Residential/Commercial Mixed Use 3) |
| Applicant | William D. Jager / The Jager Co., Laguna Beach |
| Property Owner | Lowden Real Estate Investments, LLC |
| Former Use | Vodie's Alignment and Brakes (1985-2021); original structure built 1939 |
| Planning Commission Approval | October 3, 2024 (5-0 vote, Resolution No. 6097-24) |
| City Council (CEQA Appeal) | January 14, 2025 (appeal denied; entitlements upheld) |
| CEQA | Categorically Exempt, Class 32 (In-Fill Development Projects) |
| City Planner | Mary Martinez, Planning Manager, (714) 741-5312 |
| Project Status | Entitlements approved; in predevelopment |
Density Bonus Law, CEQA Exemption, and the SAFER Appeal
The project's 98-unit count exceeds the base density of the GGMU-3 zone, which caps residential development at 48 units per acre. On the combined 1.35-acre site, that base density allows a maximum of approximately 65 units. The applicant reached 98 units by invoking California's Density Bonus Law, which authorizes a density bonus of up to 50 percent above the base when a project includes a minimum percentage of units restricted for very low-income households. By designating 10 units as deed-restricted very-low-income affordable housing, the project qualifies for the full 50 percent bonus. The project also incorporates two concessions and six waivers of development standards made available under the Density Bonus Law, which address specific constraints related to setbacks, open space calculations, and parking requirements.
The lot line adjustment is the mechanism that makes the unified building possible. Two separately parceled lots, Parcel 1 and Parcel 2, currently have an interior lot line running through the combined site. Removing that interior line through LLA-033-2024 creates a single legal parcel on which the 98-unit building can be permitted and constructed as one development rather than two separate projects.
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on October 3, 2024, and voted 5-0 to approve the project with no opposition from members of the public. Within the 21-day appeal period, the Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility, known as SAFER, filed a challenge to the Planning Commission's determination that the project qualified for a Class 32 CEQA Categorical Exemption for in-fill development. SAFER's appeal argued that the exemption did not apply and requested that the city prepare an Initial Study and environmental review document instead. The City Council considered the appeal on December 10, 2024, continued the hearing to January 14, 2025, and on that date denied the appeal and upheld the Planning Commission's approval and CEQA determination in full.
Garden Grove Boulevard as an Emerging Residential Corridor
Garden Grove Boulevard has been part of the city's housing strategy for well over a decade, and the GGMU-3 zone was created specifically to attract the kind of residential investment that the SP-145-2024 project represents. Allowing seven stories and higher densities along a boulevard that is already commercially active, transit-served, and surrounded by an established urban neighborhood gives developers the program economics to make new construction financially viable without requiring subsidy or tax credits. The 10 affordable units in this project come at no cost to the city: they are included because the Density Bonus Law gives the developer the additional 33 units above the base density in exchange for the affordable set-aside.
A former auto shop built in 1939 and operated continuously until 2021 is exactly the kind of site that garden grove's mixed-use corridor planning anticipated: underutilized commercial land on a boulevard that can support residential density, cleared of a use whose lease ended naturally, and redeveloped with a quality residential project that serves the neighborhood's housing needs. At 98 units with contemporary amenities including private decks, a podium recreation level, a conference room, and direct boulevard access, this building will serve renters who want a walkable Garden Grove address without the older housing stock that dominates much of the city's residential inventory.
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The Garden Grove Boulevard project has cleared all entitlements and is moving toward building permits and construction. We track new residential development along the Garden Grove Boulevard corridor and throughout Orange County. Contact us for updates on this project, to discuss rental investment opportunities in Garden Grove, or to explore what is available right now in the city.
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