By Eric Engelbert | September 2026
A Parking Lot on a Care Center Property. Now 76 Apartments.
Garden Park Care Center has been a fixture on Haster Street since 1962. The skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility sits on a 3.8-acre parcel between Lampson Avenue and Garden Grove Boulevard, with the Haster Basin Recreation Area just to the west. For decades, the full parcel served the care center and its operations. That is about to change.
In October 2024, the Garden Grove Planning Commission unanimously approved a site plan and parcel map that will carve 1.6 acres off the eastern edge of the care center property and deliver 76 apartments in a new four-story building at 12681 Haster Street. The care center is not going anywhere. The 2.2 acres where the care center sits stays intact and operational. What gets built is a separate, stand-alone multifamily building on surplus acreage along the Haster Street frontage, designed by Irvine-based LPA Inc. and sized to qualify for California's full State Density Bonus.
For Garden Grove, which faces a state-mandated housing obligation of 19,168 units by 2029 and is dramatically behind on delivery, projects like this one, where underutilized land already in residential zoning gets converted to housing without displacing existing uses, are among the more politically workable paths to catching up.
The Site: What Is Here and What Will Change
The full 3.8-acre property at 12681 Haster Street is zoned R-3 (Multiple-Family Residential), which means apartments are a by-right use. The care center has operated as a legal nonconforming institutional use under that zoning. The development strategy threads a practical needle: split the parcel, keep the care center on the larger piece, build housing on the smaller piece, and avoid any displacement or operational disruption to the existing facility.
The Tentative Parcel Map (Case No. PM-2023-191) accomplishes the split, creating a 2.2-acre lot for the continuing care center operation and a 1.6-acre lot for the new apartments. After the parcel map records, the two lots function independently. The apartment building will have its own access, parking, and utilities.
The neighborhood context is quieter than many infill sites. To the west is the Haster Basin Recreation Area, formerly known as Twin Lakes Park, a City of Garden Grove open space and flood control basin with walking paths and greenery. Lampson Avenue runs along the southern boundary. Garden Grove Boulevard marks the northern boundary. Haster Street provides the primary frontage and access for both the care center and the proposed apartment building. The area is predominantly residential, with the R-3 zone extending in multiple directions.
Project Details at a Glance
| Address | 12681 Haster Street, Garden Grove, CA 92840 |
|---|---|
| Case Numbers | SP-146-2024 (Site Plan) and PM-2023-191 (Parcel Map) |
| Location | West side of Haster Street, between Lampson Avenue and Garden Grove Boulevard |
| Zone | R-3 (Multiple-Family Residential) |
| Total Units | 76 apartment homes |
| Building Height | 4 stories |
| Project Site Area | Approximately 1.58 acres (1.6 acres) |
| Total Existing Parcel | 3.8 acres (being split into 2.2 + 1.6 acres) |
| Affordable Units | 8 units for very-low-income households |
| Density Bonus | Yes, per State Density Bonus Law; includes concessions, waivers, reduced parking |
| Applicant / Designer | LPA Inc., 5301 California Ave Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92617 |
| CEQA Status | Categorically exempt |
| Planning Commission Vote | Unanimous, 7-0 (October 17, 2024, Resolution No. 6099-24) |
| Existing Site Use | Garden Park Care Center (skilled nursing/rehab, built 1962) continues on 2.2-acre portion |
How 8 Affordable Units Unlock the Full Project
The eight affordable units designated for very-low-income households are not just a policy commitment. They are the mechanism that makes the full 76-unit building financially and regulatory viable. Under California's State Density Bonus Law (Government Code Section 65915), a developer who includes a defined percentage of units at affordable income levels earns a density bonus above the baseline zoning allowance, along with concessions that reduce development costs, waivers from development standards that would otherwise restrict the project, and reduced parking minimums.
At the very-low-income threshold, which applies here, the Density Bonus Law provides significant leverage. The eight units represent roughly 10.5 percent of the 76-unit total. A project with this affordable share qualifies for a density bonus of at least 22.5 percent above what base R-3 zoning would otherwise allow, along with up to two development standard concessions and any waivers necessary to accommodate the bonus units.
In practice, this means the four-story building and its unit count, which might face height or lot coverage pushback under standard zoning, clears those hurdles because the state law preempts local restrictions when affordable units are included. The eight affordable units are the key that unlocks the other 68.
For very-low-income households in Garden Grove, income eligibility is determined using Orange County's Area Median Income (AMI), which is $169,200 for a family of four as of 2025. Very-low income is defined as 50 percent of AMI or below, or $84,600 per year for a four-person household. Maximum rents on the affordable units will be set accordingly, typically in the $1,800 to $2,100 per month range for a two-bedroom depending on household size and exact AMI calculation year.
About LPA Inc.: The Irvine Firm Behind the Design
LPA Inc. is an integrated design firm based in Irvine with offices in Sacramento and San Jose. Founded in 1965, the firm provides architecture, planning, interior design, and landscape architecture services, and has built a substantial portfolio across Southern California in multifamily residential, educational facilities, healthcare, corporate campuses, and civic projects. LPA was named the AIA California Firm of the Year in 2025, one of the most prestigious firm-level recognitions in the state's architecture community.
The firm's involvement in a project of this scale, a 76-unit infill apartment building on an unusual site configuration, reflects LPA's broader practice in entitlement-driven residential design. Architecture firms like LPA are frequently listed as the project "applicant" in Garden Grove and other Orange County cities when they are serving as the architect-of-record and primary entitlement processor for a developer client. The underlying development entity, whether a private investor or a regional developer, manages the financing and construction while the architecture firm navigates the planning and design approvals. No separate developer name has been disclosed in the city's public filings for this project.
What the Neighborhood Looks Like
The stretch of Haster Street between Lampson and Garden Grove Boulevard is a quiet corridor by Garden Grove standards. The care center occupies the most prominent parcel on the west side of the street. The Haster Basin Recreation Area, which the city acquired and developed for open space and flood control, abuts the property to the west. There are existing apartment buildings nearby, consistent with the R-3 zoning that covers much of the surrounding area. Lampson Avenue to the south connects into a broader residential grid, and Garden Grove Boulevard to the north is a major commercial and transit corridor.
For future residents of the Haster Street apartments, daily amenities along Garden Grove Boulevard are within easy walking or biking distance. The Brookhurst Street corridor and OC Koreatown's restaurants and retail are a short drive or bike ride north. Garden Grove High School is less than a mile to the east. The 22 Freeway is accessible at Haster Street, making commute connectivity straightforward.
The proximity to Haster Basin Recreation Area is a genuine quality-of-life asset for a multifamily building at this price point. A passive open space with walking paths and greenery directly adjacent to the project site is something most Garden Grove apartment renters do not have. Depending on how the site plan is oriented, future residents may have direct visual or physical access to the park from the property.
Where This Fits in Garden Grove's Housing Picture
Garden Grove's 6th Cycle RHNA obligation requires the city to plan for and facilitate 19,168 new housing units by 2029. The city's Housing Element, certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development in December 2023, identifies where that growth could go. What it does not do is build anything. Units get added when projects like 12681 Haster Street move from entitlement through plan check, permitting, and construction to delivered keys.
Seventy-six units represents less than half of one percent of the city's total RHNA obligation, but the Haster Street project matters as a type. It is not a ground-up development on a vacant lot, which are rare in a built-out city like Garden Grove. It is an infill project that finds density in an underutilized corner of an existing institutional property, in zoning that already supports multifamily development, without displacing any current use. That approach, converting surplus institutional or commercial land adjacent to residential zones, is likely where a significant portion of Garden Grove's future unit deliveries will come from, and the Haster Street project demonstrates one version of how it gets done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the Garden Park Care Center close?
No. The care center is staying. The approved parcel map splits the 3.8-acre property into two separate lots. The care center remains on its own 2.2-acre lot. The apartments are built on the newly created 1.6-acre lot. The two properties will operate independently after the lot split is recorded.
What does "very low income" mean for the 8 affordable units?
Very-low-income eligibility in Orange County is set at 50 percent of Area Median Income. As of 2025, that is approximately $84,600 per year for a household of four. Maximum rents on these units will be calculated to not exceed 30 percent of the qualifying income threshold, typically placing two-bedroom rents in the range of $1,800 to $2,100 per month depending on the applicable AMI year and household size.
When will the apartments be built?
The entitlement was approved in October 2024. As of early 2026, the project was still appearing in the city's active development pipeline, indicating it was in the plan check or pre-construction phase. No public groundbreaking date has been announced. Garden Grove infill projects of this scale typically take 12 to 24 months from entitlement to construction start, depending on financing and permitting.
Who is the developer?
LPA Inc. of Irvine is the architect-of-record and listed project applicant. Architecture firms frequently process entitlements on behalf of developer clients in Garden Grove. No separate developer or investment entity has been identified in city planning filings for this project.
Tracking Garden Grove's Housing Pipeline?
The Haster Street project is one of a growing number of Garden Grove apartment approvals working toward construction in 2025 and 2026. If you are renting in Garden Grove, buying investment property in the area, or watching the city's housing market for supply signals, these new projects matter. Eighty-four new market-rate apartments on one street can move comparable rents and vacancy rates in a submarket that has not seen much new supply in years.
Whether you are buying, selling, or evaluating an investment in Garden Grove, reach out anytime.
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