The Marisol: Huntington Beach's New $252M Senior Community and the Silver Tsunami Heading for Orange County

By Eric Engelbert

A $252 million senior care community is coming to Huntington Beach. Here's what it actually is.

A lot of people in Huntington Beach saw the headline about a new "senior community" getting funded and assumed it meant another for-sale 55-plus neighborhood. That's not what The Marisol is. The product matters, because what's getting built has a lot to say about which seniors Orange County is currently building for and which ones it isn't.

What The Marisol Will Be

For-Sale or Care Facility?

This is the part that surprises most people. The Marisol is a care facility, not a for-sale community. Residents will not buy a unit. They will pay a monthly fee that covers their apartment, meals, housekeeping, and care services. That's the standard model for assisted living and memory care.

The difference matters for how you think about who lives there:

• Assisted living serves seniors who need help with day-to-day activities like bathing, dressing, or medication management. Most residents are in their 80s.
• Memory care is a secured, specialized environment for residents with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. Higher staffing, higher monthly costs.
• Neither one is age-restricted to 55-plus. A 55-plus community, by contrast, is age-qualified housing where residents own or rent their homes and live independently.

Pricing for The Marisol has not been released. Pre-leasing typically opens 6 to 12 months before opening, so expect more details closer to 2028. For context, comparable new-construction assisted living and memory care in coastal Orange County in 2026 generally runs $7,000 to $10,000 per month for assisted living and $11,000 or more per month for memory care. With the amenity package The Marisol is advertising, expect it to land at the upper end of those ranges.

The Silver Tsunami Is Real, and the Numbers Tell the Story

The senior housing industry has talked about the "silver tsunami" for a decade. It's the demographic wave of baby boomers aging into the years when assisted living, memory care, and continuing care become relevant. The oldest boomers turn 80 in 2026. The youngest turn 80 in 2044. That's nearly two decades of escalating demand.

The supply side is moving in the opposite direction.

That's the structural picture. Demand is climbing. Supply is shrinking. Occupancy rates are rising. Projects like The Marisol are the exception, not the trend. Most operators have pulled back because rising construction costs and labor shortages make new builds harder to pencil. The deals that do close, like the one The Marisol just secured, are getting bigger and more amenity-heavy, which is great for the people who can afford them and less great for everyone else.

Which Brings Us to Affordable Senior Housing

If you read the headlines, you'd think every new senior project in Orange County is luxury assisted living. The reality is that the segment with the deepest unmet demand is the opposite end of the market. Seniors living on Social Security plus a modest pension are getting squeezed by the same rent inflation that affects everyone else, with one critical difference: they're usually on a fixed income and they can't go back to work.

The median Social Security benefit for retired workers in 2026 is roughly $2,000 per month. The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Orange County is well above that figure. The arithmetic doesn't work, and it's why income-restricted senior apartments have multi-year waitlists across the county. HUD Section 202 senior housing, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) senior projects, and senior-targeted Section 8 vouchers are the primary tools, and there isn't nearly enough of any of them.

A $252 million project that serves 214 luxury assisted-living residents is a real and necessary product. But it is not a substitute for the much harder-to-finance work of building affordable senior housing for the residents whose pension didn't keep up.

Orange County's Spectrum of Senior Communities

Most people don't realize how broad the senior housing market in Orange County actually is. There's a community type for almost every situation, and the price ranges span an enormous spread.

For-Sale 55-Plus Active Adult Communities

If you want to own your home and live among other adults 55 and older, this is the category. Pricing in OC ranges from low-$300,000s for older mobile home park spaces to well over $1.5 million for newer detached homes in master-planned communities. Some of the better-known options:

• Laguna Woods Village (Laguna Woods). The largest 55-plus community in Orange County, with more than 12,000 homes spread across condos, co-ops, and single-family units. Originally built as Leisure World. Wide range of price points, from mid-$200,000s through $1.5 million plus.
• Huntington Landmark (Huntington Beach). A 1,200-home 55-plus community with a clubhouse, pools, and tennis. Typical pricing in the high $600,000s to low $900,000s.
• Casta Del Sol and Palmia (Mission Viejo). Two of the larger 55-plus communities in south OC. Single-family and attached homes generally in the $700,000s to $1.2 million range.
• Gavilan at Rancho Mission Viejo. The newest 55-plus product in OC, with new construction homes in a master-planned community setting. Pricing generally in the $900,000s to $1.5 million-plus range.
• Mobile home and manufactured home senior parks (Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, others). Communities like Huntington By the Sea, Skandia Mobile Country Club, and Crystal Cay offer some of the most affordable senior ownership in the county, often in the $200,000s to $500,000s depending on location and condition.

See our complete guide to 55-plus communities in Huntington Beach.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs)

CCRCs are designed so that a resident can move in while fully independent and stay through the assisted living and even skilled nursing stages of life without changing addresses. They usually require a substantial entrance fee plus monthly service charges. In OC, established examples include Walnut Village in Anaheim, The Covington in Aliso Viejo, and Vivante in Costa Mesa. Entrance fees can range from the low six figures into the millions, with monthly fees typically $4,000 to $8,000.

Assisted Living and Memory Care

This is the category The Marisol joins. Existing OC operators include Sunrise, Belmont Village, Atria, Carmel Village, and many smaller boutique operators. Monthly pricing in 2026 generally ranges $5,500 to $9,500 for assisted living and $8,500 to $13,000 plus for memory care, with significant variation based on care level and amenities.

Affordable Senior Housing

The hardest category to find, and the one with the deepest waitlists. Examples include income-restricted senior apartment communities operated by nonprofits like Jamboree Housing and National Community Renaissance, as well as HUD Section 202 properties scattered throughout the county. Eligibility is generally tied to income limits set as a percentage of Area Median Income (AMI). Rents are typically capped at 30% of household income, which is the only way the math works for seniors living on fixed benefits.

My Take, From an Orange County Real Estate Perspective

The Marisol is a great project for the residents and families it will serve. The amenities sound excellent, the location is solid, and at a time when most operators are pulling back, the fact that this deal got financed is a sign of how strong the underlying demand really is. Huntington Beach gets a high-quality care community on a site that needed redevelopment anyway. That's a win.

But it's only part of the story. Orange County is aging fast, and the housing types we're building don't match the income distribution of the seniors who already live here. A two-bedroom assisted living unit at $9,000 a month is a real product for a real customer. So is a $400,000 mobile home in a senior park where lot rent runs another $1,200 a month. So is a $250,000 condo at Laguna Woods Village. The county needs all of it, and it needs more of the lower end of the spectrum than developers are currently incentivized to build.

A well-functioning senior housing market isn't one product at one price point. It's a ladder. The Marisol adds rungs at the top. The harder question is who is building the rungs in the middle and at the bottom.

What This Means If You Or A Family Member Is Planning Ahead

A few things worth thinking about while you have time:

• Don't wait until a health event to look at options. The communities with the best fit usually have waitlists. Touring early, even years early, gives you better choices.
• Understand the four categories. Independent for-sale 55-plus, CCRCs, assisted living and memory care, and affordable senior apartments are very different products with very different costs and qualifications.
• Plan for the move in stages. Many residents transition from a single-family home into a 55-plus condo, then later into a CCRC or assisted living. Each stage involves a real estate decision.
• Look at total cost of ownership, not just price. Mobile home parks often have monthly lot rent. CCRCs have entrance fees. Condos in 55-plus communities have HOAs that can be substantial. The sticker price is rarely the full picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between The Marisol and a 55+ community?

The Marisol is assisted living and memory care. Residents rent a unit and pay a monthly fee that includes meals, housekeeping, and care services. A 55+ community is age-qualified housing where residents typically own their home and live independently with no care services included. Different products, different pricing models, different residents. Most assisted living residents are in their 80s. Most 55+ community residents are in their 60s and 70s.

What are the best alternatives to assisted living?

The best alternative depends on what level of help is actually needed. A few of the most common paths:

• In-home care. Caregivers come to the resident's existing home. Often cheaper and less disruptive when only a few hours of daily support are required.
• Adult day programs. Structured daytime activities and supervision while the resident continues to live at home.
• Independent living in a 55+ community or CCRC. Works well for seniors who don't yet need hands-on help but want a community environment with built-in social connections.
• Multi-generational living. Increasingly common in Orange County, often supported by adding an ADU to an adult child's property.
• Aging in place with home modifications. Walk-in showers, grab bars, ramps, and stair lifts can extend the years a senior safely stays in their existing home.

Are there single family detached homes in 55+ communities in Orange County?

Yes. Several Orange County 55+ communities offer detached single family homes:

• Laguna Woods Village (Laguna Woods). Detached single family options alongside its co-op and condo inventory.
• Brookhaven (Brea). Detached homes in a smaller 55+ setting.
• Palmia (Mission Viejo). Detached single family homes with HOA-managed amenities.
• Gavilan at Rancho Mission Viejo. Newer construction detached homes in a master-planned community.
• San Juan Capistrano 55+ neighborhoods. Detached homes in several smaller communities.

Pricing varies widely by community, age of the home, lot size, and location, generally ranging from the $700,000s to well above $1.5 million.

How much does assisted living typically cost in Orange County?

Assisted living in Orange County in 2026 generally runs between $5,500 and $9,500 per month for a one-bedroom unit, with two-bedroom and care-level surcharges pushing some communities above $11,000 per month. Memory care typically starts higher, often $8,500 to $13,000 or more per month, because of the increased staffing and secured environment. Newer construction with high-end amenity packages, like The Marisol, tends to land at the upper end of these ranges.

When will The Marisol open?

The Marisol is scheduled for delivery in 2028. Pre-leasing for assisted living and memory care communities typically opens 6 to 12 months before doors open, so detailed pricing and availability information should become public sometime in 2027.

Explore Senior and Family Homes in Huntington Beach and Nearby Cities

1. Huntington Beach: 55+ Communities and Senior Homes
2. Orange County 55+ Communities
3. Huntington Beach: All Homes for Sale
4. Costa Mesa: Homes for Sale
5. Newport Beach: Homes for Sale
6. Fountain Valley: Homes for Sale

The Bigger Question