Posted July 2026 | By Eric Engelbert | Updated as the project moves forward.
17 Years in the Making: 70 Units of Senior Affordable Housing Now Under Construction on West 19th Street
A plan that first appeared on paper in 2008 and traces its origins to discussions from the 1990s is finally becoming reality. The Costa Mesa City Council unanimously approved a 70-unit affordable apartment community for low-income seniors on March 18, 2025, to be built on a portion of the Costa Mesa Senior Center parking lot at the corner of West 19th Street and Pomona Avenue. The developer is Irvine-based Jamboree Housing Corporation, a nonprofit affordable housing developer that will lease the city-owned land for $1 per year. Construction was planned to begin in November 2025 and the first residents are expected by fall 2027.
This is not a market-rate project and it is not a for-sale development. It is 100 percent affordable rental housing for seniors age 55 and older, with priority given to Costa Mesa residents who meet income requirements. This blog covers what is being built, who qualifies, how it is being paid for, and what it means for the Westside Costa Mesa neighborhood.
The Site: City-Owned Land Leased for $1 Per Year
The project occupies a portion of the parking lot adjacent to the Costa Mesa Senior Center at 695 West 19th Street, at the intersection of West 19th Street and Pomona Avenue in Westside Costa Mesa. The land is owned by the City of Costa Mesa. Rather than selling the property, the city is structuring the arrangement as a long-term ground lease at $1 per year. This is a standard mechanism for publicly subsidized affordable housing: the city retains land ownership while transferring development rights to a nonprofit housing developer, keeping the cost basis of the project low and ensuring the property remains affordable in perpetuity.
The idea of building senior housing on this site is not new. City documents indicate the parking lot was first identified as a candidate for senior housing development in the 1990s. A more formalized plan emerged in 2008, when the city began working toward a housing development adjacent to the Senior Center. For seventeen years, the project stalled at the funding stage. Affordable senior housing development requires multiple layers of public subsidy, including federal tax credits, state and county grants, and housing vouchers, and assembling those sources takes years of applications and waiting periods. By early 2025, all the pieces were finally in place.
The site sits directly across West 19th Street from the Towers on 19th, an 18-story high-rise with 270 affordable senior apartments operated by Reiner Communities. That existing community has been serving low-income Costa Mesa seniors for decades, and the new Jamboree development will add to that concentration of senior services in the 19th Street corridor, consistent with the city's adopted 19 West Plan for Westside Costa Mesa revitalization.
Project Details: 70 Apartments for Low-Income and Formerly Homeless Seniors
The four-story building will contain 70 units total. One unit is reserved for an on-site property manager. Of the remaining 69 resident units, 35 are reserved for low-income seniors and 34 for very-low-income seniors, including those who have experienced homelessness. Jamboree has described the community as permanent supportive housing, meaning residents sign leases and can remain long-term, with on-site services designed to help them maintain housing stability. This is not a shelter or a transitional program.
| Address | 695 West 19th Street (at Pomona Avenue), Costa Mesa, CA 92627 |
|---|---|
| Total Units | 70 (69 resident units + 1 manager unit) |
| Unit Types | One-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments |
| Resident Eligibility | Seniors age 55+; priority to Costa Mesa residents meeting income limits |
| Income Tiers | 35 low-income units + 34 very-low-income units |
| Building Height | Four stories |
| Land Ownership | City of Costa Mesa (ground lease at $1/year to Jamboree) |
| Amenities | Fitness room, computer room, pet spa, dog run, outdoor courtyard |
| Services | On-site case management, life skills support, community programming, property management |
| CEQA | Class 32 Infill Exemption |
| Developer | Jamboree Housing Corporation (nonprofit) |
| General Contractor | Quality Development and Construction, Inc. (Jamboree's licensed GC) |
| City Council Approval | March 18, 2025 (unanimous) |
| Construction Start | November 2025 (planned) |
| Target Opening | Fall 2027 |
Amenities include a fitness room, computer room, pet spa, dog run, and outdoor courtyard. The design is intended to integrate with the surrounding neighborhood in scale and materials, and will be further refined through Jamboree's community outreach process. On-site supportive services will be coordinated by trained staff who can assist residents with case management, life skills education, and connecting to local community resources. Jamboree's model for permanent supportive housing has historically achieved better than a 90 percent success rate in keeping formerly homeless residents housed long-term.
How a $1/Year Land Lease Becomes 70 Apartments: The Funding Stack
Affordable housing projects like this one do not operate the way market-rate development does. No single investor or lender is funding the construction. Instead, Jamboree assembles a layered financing structure from multiple public sources, each of which covers a portion of the development cost. The city's contribution is the land itself, effectively donated through the $1/year ground lease. That keeps the largest single cost item off the balance sheet.
Additional funding comes from Orange County through county housing funds, federal housing vouchers administered through the Orange County Housing Authority (which cover operating costs by subsidizing tenant rents), waived city permit and development fees, and federal grants. The project also likely uses Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), the primary federal tool for financing affordable housing construction, which provide equity from private investors in exchange for tax credits allocated by the state. The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) oversees those allocations.
The 17-year timeline from concept to approval reflects how long it takes to line up all of these sources simultaneously. County funds, federal grants, and LIHTC allocations are competitive and have limited annual availability. Jamboree applied through multiple cycles before the full funding stack came together in 2025, which finally allowed the city to move forward with the disposition and development agreement and ground lease.
About the Developer: Jamboree Housing Corporation
Jamboree Housing Corporation is a nonprofit affordable housing developer headquartered in Irvine at 17701 Cowan Avenue. Founded in 1990, Jamboree has developed over 100 affordable communities across California housing more than 10,000 residents. They specialize in permanent supportive housing, senior affordable housing, and workforce housing, and operate as their own general contractor through a licensed construction subsidiary, Quality Development and Construction, Inc.
Jamboree has a track record in Orange County, including the Emerald Cove senior housing community in Huntington Beach, which has been in operation since 2011. Their model combines affordable rents with on-site services, which distinguishes their properties from both traditional apartments and from transitional shelter programs. They manage their communities long-term through an in-house asset management team.
For the Costa Mesa project, Jamboree conducted multiple community outreach meetings before and after the city council approval to address neighbor questions about parking, building design, resident eligibility, and services. The city's parking study confirmed that the loss of the portion of the Senior Center parking lot being used for the new building will not impact available parking for Senior Center programs or visitors.
Who Qualifies and How to Apply
The community is for seniors age 55 and older who meet income eligibility requirements. Priority will be given to Costa Mesa residents. Income limits for affordable housing are set annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) based on the area median income (AMI) for Orange County.
Applications and waitlist information will be managed by Jamboree directly once the community approaches its opening in fall 2027. Jamboree maintains an interest list on their website at jamboreehousing.com for prospective residents who want to be notified when leasing opens. Given the demand for affordable senior housing in Orange County and the preference for current Costa Mesa residents, anyone with a senior family member who may qualify should register early.
What This Means for Westside Costa Mesa
The 19th Street corridor in Westside Costa Mesa has been the subject of a city-adopted revitalization plan called the 19 West Plan, which envisions new housing, live-work opportunities, and improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure for an area that has historically been underserved. The senior housing project is positioned as an early implementation step in that plan: adding permanent housing adjacent to transit, within walking distance of retail, medical services, a pharmacy, and two parks, Lions Park and Marine View Park.
For the surrounding neighborhood, the development is an addition to an existing concentration of senior services and affordable senior housing. The Towers on 19th directly across the street provides 270 senior apartments, and the Costa Mesa Senior Center itself draws hundreds of residents for programming. Jamboree has indicated it will coordinate with both neighbors to build on and expand existing programs for seniors in the area.
Costa Mesa's overall homeownership rate is approximately 38 percent, well below state and national averages. The westside census tract where this project is located has a median household income of approximately $48,206, and about 37 percent of residents live below the federal poverty line. In that context, 70 units of affordable senior housing represents meaningful supply for a part of the city that has significant housing need and limited new construction.
Questions About Costa Mesa Housing?
If you have a senior family member who may qualify for this community, register for Jamboree's interest list at jamboreehousing.com. If you are looking to buy or sell in Costa Mesa or anywhere in Orange County, we follow all segments of the housing market, from new market-rate developments to neighborhood-level affordability trends that affect values. Reach out anytime.
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