By Eric Engelbert
Placentia Is Building a Neighborhood Around a Train Station That Is Not There Yet
Most cities build transit around where people already live. Placentia is doing something different. The city has been rezoning land, attracting developers, and building apartments around a future Metrolink stop that is funded but has not broken ground yet. The neighborhood is going up first, and the train is coming later. It is a bet on the future of North Orange County transit, and the early results are already visible on West Crowther Avenue. Here is a full look at what is happening in Placentia and why it matters for buyers, renters, and anyone watching the North OC housing market. Browse current Placentia listings.
The Future Placentia Metrolink Station
The anchor of everything happening in this part of Placentia is a planned Metrolink commuter rail stop at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Crowther Avenue, just east of the 57 freeway. When it opens, it will be Orange County's 13th Metrolink station, serving the 91 Line that runs from Riverside through Fullerton to Downtown Los Angeles.
OCTA and the City of Placentia have secured $34.82 million in federal, state, and local funding for the station and a multi-level parking structure with roughly 350 spaces. The platform is designed with a pedestrian overpass bridge so riders can safely cross the active freight and Metrolink tracks. As of mid-2026, construction has not yet started, but the funding is in place and the planning work is done.
For anyone wondering why a neighborhood of apartments is already rising around an empty rail corridor, this is the answer. The city made the strategic decision to zone for dense housing around the station first, so that when the train arrives, there is already a built-in ridership base and a walkable neighborhood around it.
The Packing House District: Placentia's Transit Village
In 2017, Placentia created a special zone called the Packing House District around the future station site. The name comes from the historic packinghouses that used to operate in this part of the city when Placentia was a center of citrus farming in the early 1900s. The zone allows a mix of apartments, shops, restaurants, and offices within easy walking distance of the future platform, all at a higher density than the rest of the city allows.
The original idea was to turn a quiet industrial block into an active, walkable neighborhood that would feed riders to the train and draw people to Old Town Placentia. The city estimated that a fully built-out TOD district would generate up to $495 million in public and private investment and create about 3,272 construction jobs, with roughly $1.5 million per year in added city tax revenue once everything is running.
In February 2024, the city expanded the TOD zone by 14.5 additional acres along Crowther Avenue, raising the maximum density in that new area to 95 homes per acre. That expansion alone could allow up to 1,378 more residential units in the district.
Jefferson Cenza: What Is Already Built and Open
The most visible result of the TOD strategy is Jefferson Cenza, a five-story apartment building at 501 West Crowther Avenue that opened in November 2023. It sits directly in the TOD zone, steps from where the future Metrolink platform will be.
Jefferson Cenza has 418 apartments across studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom floor plans, plus two-bedroom townhomes. The ground floor includes about 8,200 square feet of commercial and retail space. Amenities include a pool and jacuzzi, firepits, outdoor grills, a dog walking area, and co-working spaces. Smart home features are built into the units, including keyless entry and app-based controls. The building is managed by Greystar, one of the largest apartment operators in the country.
Jefferson Cenza is the proof of concept for the TOD strategy. It shows that developers will build near a future station even before the train arrives, as long as the zoning is in place and the neighborhood is heading in the right direction. With 633 total units already approved or built in the TOD district, and up to 1,378 more possible with the 2024 expansion, the neighborhood is just getting started.
What Is Coming Next in the TOD Zone
The 2024 TOD expansion opened a significant amount of new land for development, but the specific projects that will fill that land have not all been publicly announced. The city has said that 633 units have been approved or built in the district so far, which means there is room for hundreds more under the existing zoning without any further changes.
A separate project known as the Placentia and Orangethorpe Townhomes was reviewed by the city in early 2026 and cleared its environmental review as a residential project on previously developed land. That project is in a different part of the city near Orangethorpe Avenue, adding to the broader housing pipeline outside the TOD zone.
The city has also been working with affordable housing organizations to bring income-restricted units to the area near the future station, as part of its commitment under California's housing laws to provide housing at all income levels. No specific affordable housing project near the station has been announced publicly as of mid-2026.
The Chapman Corridor: A Second Piece of Placentia's Revitalization
Separate from the TOD zone near the train station, Placentia approved a new development plan in November 2025 for a 55-acre stretch of Chapman Avenue between Placentia Avenue and Kraemer Boulevard. This is called the Chapman Corridor Revitalization Plan.
The goal is to bring new investment to a commercial strip that has seen some decline without pushing out the businesses and residents who are already there. The plan sets new design standards and zoning rules for the corridor to attract better retail and housing projects over time. It is more of a long-term framework than an immediate construction project, but it signals that the city is actively trying to improve multiple parts of Placentia at once, not just the area around the train station.
Old Town Placentia, the historic downtown around Bradford Avenue, is also part of the city's broader revitalization effort, with its own design standards and land use rules aimed at keeping the historic character while allowing new housing and commercial activity to come in.
Placentia's Housing Mandate and Where Things Stand
California requires Placentia to plan for 4,374 new homes by 2029. The city adopted its housing plan in March 2022 and had it approved by the state, which means Placentia is in compliance and not at risk of state penalties for the time being.
The TOD district is Placentia's biggest tool for hitting that target. With 633 units already in the pipeline and the 2024 expansion adding capacity for roughly 1,378 more, the district alone could account for over 2,000 units once it is built out. Add in projects like the Orangethorpe townhomes and any future Chapman Corridor development, and Placentia has a realistic path to meeting its 2029 requirement, though a lot depends on whether the market keeps moving and the Metrolink station timeline firms up.
You can see how Placentia compares to other Orange County cities on the OC New Developments page.
What This Means for Buyers and Investors in Placentia
For buyers looking at homes near Old Town or the TOD zone: Placentia's single-family neighborhoods are a short drive from a part of the city that is actively changing. The TOD zone sits close to historic Old Town, the 57 freeway, and Cal State Fullerton. That combination of location, transit access once the train opens, and a walkable restaurant and retail district starting to take shape is attractive for buyers who want a North OC home without Anaheim Hills prices. Browse homes for sale in Placentia.
For renters interested in the TOD zone: Jefferson Cenza at 501 West Crowther is the main option right now, with 418 apartments and ground-floor retail already open. It is a newer building with strong amenities in a neighborhood that is still early in its development, which typically means you get more space for the rent than you would in a more established walkable district. More options will likely come to this corridor as the station construction timeline becomes clearer.
For investors watching this market: The combination of a funded but not-yet-built Metrolink station, an expanding TOD zone, and a city that has been proactive about its housing approvals makes Placentia worth watching. Transit-adjacent properties tend to perform well once service begins. The question here is timing. The station has been funded for years without a construction start date. Once a groundbreaking is announced, the surrounding properties tend to get attention fast.
A North OC City Worth Watching
Placentia does not get as much attention as Anaheim or Irvine when people talk about Orange County real estate, but the combination of a transit-oriented neighborhood already underway, a funded future Metrolink stop, and a historic downtown being revitalized makes it one of the more interesting cities to follow in North OC. If you want to talk through what any of this means for a home you are buying or selling in the area, I am happy to help.
