La Habra approves Diocese of Orange’s first housing development on church site
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A plan to build 21 apartment homes in La Habra amid Orange County’s housing crisis faced all-too-familiar opposition.
Residents turned out for the La Habra City Council meeting Monday to air their concerns about privacy, traffic and parking. Council members bemoaned state requirements to plan for more housing while being unable to deny the proposed development without risking a costly lawsuit.
What made La Habra’s housing debate different? The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange will be the future landlord.
The Diocese of Orange is looking to turn a grass field at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in La Habra currently used for church activities into a nearly 1.6-acre housing site.
“It’s just like any other apartment complex, it just happens to be owned by the Diocese,” Douglas Woodward, a consultant for the Diocese, told the council. “This is an apartment complex where we are going to find people that want to call La Habra home, who want a beautiful new neighborhood and are willing to rent there.”
La Habra City Council members voted to dismiss the city’s own policy goal of funding and approving a rental housing inspection program, an initiative first discussed more than half a century ago.
Churches turning properties into housing is a relatively new approach to boosting Orange County’s housing stock. As part of their religious mission, denominations have partnered with affordable housing developers for innovative projects in recent years.
Buena Park recently celebrated the grand opening of Orchard View Gardens, a 66-unit affordable housing development at the site of St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, where a dozen units are set aside as supportive housing for previously homeless seniors.
In Garden Grove, the United Methodist Church partnered with Jamboree Housing to build Wesley Village, an affordable housing complex for seniors and multi-generational families that opened in 2017.
With the help of Mercy Housing of California, the Sisters of St. Joseph embarked on a $37-million effort to renovate their Motherhouse in Orange into affordable housing for seniors, including previously homeless residents.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is also looking to transform its unused properties into affordable housing for workers, seniors and at-risk young adults.
But in La Habra, the proposed apartment project is primarily a market-rate effort by the Diocese of Orange.
Several housing developments are currently being planned for Santa Ana, Irvine and Fullerton.
“The Diocese of Orange is committed to serving both its local faithful and the wider community in ways that align with its values and long-term vision,” said Jarryd Gonzales, a Diocese spokesperson. “As part of this commitment, we are actively assessing underutilized property assets to better serve our communities and generate funds to support our ministries.”
In Irvine and Santa Ana, the Diocese of Orange is eyeing projects that allow for new church construction with housing developments also on site.
Its entrance into the housing market in La Habra has raised questions from affordable housing advocates.
Cesar Covarrubias, executive director of the nonprofit Kennedy Commission, noted that the project did not seek a density bonus to build more units in exchange for more affordable housing or take advantage of SB 4, also known as Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act, a state law that streamlines such developments.
“It appears as if they’re trying to do just market-driven development to maximize their return,” Covarrubias said. “There’s an opportunity for the Diocese to reexamine how they can help address the critical need of affordable housing. A large part of the Catholic Church’s congregation is struggling with housing. They need to be a leader.”
Gonzales said that the Diocese of Orange will explore all options, including utilizing SB 4.
Two units at the La Habra site are set to be affordable at the moderate-income level, which restricts rent to 30% of an annual household income and equates to $138,000 for a family of three, per the city’s inclusionary housing law.
“This apartment project will provide funding to support the church and its good works for the next 100 years,” Fr. William Goldin, parochial administrator at Our Lady of Guadalupe, told council members. “We will be a great neighbor, and this project will be a great neighbor, both to the church and our neighbors.”
People who live near the project site weren’t so sure.
They voiced concerns to the council about pedestrian safety and car traffic, which has already been an issue on Sunday mornings.
“I am impacted with the traffic every Sunday,” said Jesse Perez, a La Habra resident. “If you try to come in or leave during Mass hours, it’s hard. I can just imagine the impact with more apartments in there. That is my concern, just safety.”
Some council members seemed reluctant to approve the housing development but didn’t have any legal findings to deny the project outright since it met all necessary requirements.
“I have an expectation, should this project be approved, that the church and the Diocese will make every possible humanly and heavenly effort to work with the folks that have spoken eloquently about their concerns,” said Councilman Daren Nigsarian. “I favor the project because I don’t think we have a choice.”
The Irvine City Council bypassed noise and safety concerns over future housing development plans near John Wayne Airport.
Citing the recent Palisades fire, Councilman James Gomez wanted to ask the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which contracts with La Habra for services, about the safety of the proposed complex.
City staff noted that the LACFD reviewed the project multiple times and had no issues.
Council members initially voted to discuss the housing development in closed session. But when they came back from confidential deliberations with La Habra City Atty. Dick Jones, they approved the apartment homes by a 4-1 vote.
“The project is wonderful,” said Mayor Rose Espinoza. “It’s just more [about] community meetings...that the church needs to have with the [residents] to make sure they alleviate the issues as much as they possibly can.”
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