ANAHEIM : City Council Rejects Senior Housing Plan
A small group of homeowners in the central part of the city has successfully opposed a senior housing complex that members said would bring too much traffic and be inappropriate in their neighborhood of single-family homes.
The City Council denied a plan to build a two-story, 15-unit senior housing project on Rio Vista Street, just south of Lincoln Avenue, despite arguments that the project offered affordable housing and was within walking distance to nearby shops.
“This is a very, very stable neighborhood with single-family homes, and it’s very right for senior housing, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be built this way,” said Councilman Tom Daly.
This is the third time in one year that residents have opposed, and the City Council has rejected, different projects for the parcel of land. One project was an eight-unit apartment complex and the other was a commercial development.
About a dozen residents this week spoke against the senior housing project, offering several reasons for their opposition. Some were concerned that the building would be too large for the plot of land, which is about a third of an acre, and too close to homeowners’ property. Others argued that an apartment complex would bring too many residents and too much traffic to the neighborhood.
George F. Murdock wrote in a letter to the council that he was opposed to the project because the height of the building would “block out the afternoon and evening sun.”
The council voted 4 to 1 against the project, with Mayor Fred Hunter in favor of it. Hunter said he voted for the project because the city needs more affordable senior housing, and the location offered seniors easy access to a number of nearby stores.
