City to Provide Low-Cost Units for the Elderly : Housing: Under state law, the city must furnish some affordable housing, but critics say the 4.2-acre triangular site near stables and a marmalade factory is not suitable.

The city has taken its first step toward complying with a state mandate to provide housing for low- and moderate-income residents, something officials concede they have failed to do for years.

The City Council on Wednesday decided to set aside 4.2 acres of city-owned property for construction of an affordable-housing complex for senior citizens. The triangular site is just south of Artesia Boulevard, between the San Gabriel River and Dumont Avenue.

Developers will be asked to submit proposals for the project. Under the plan, a builder would either buy the property, currently valued at $2.4 million, or sign a long-term lease with the city. Officials said the property could accommodate up to 100 one-bedroom units, along with such amenities as a garden, patio area and recreation and meeting room.

The council approved the plan despite criticism from some homeowners and business owners in the area. Critics said the site, which borders on a marmalade factory, riding stable and Valley Christian High School, is unsuitable for a housing development.

“There’s nowhere for them to walk; they’d be killed,” said Bonnie Kent, who lives across the river from the proposed site. “I just don’t think that’s an area for housing of any kind.”

Mary Buell, who has operated the 200-horse B & B Stables for 30 years, said that traffic is heavy on Dumont and that there are no grocery stores or pharmacies nearby. “Not everybody likes to smell horses,” Buell added. “We can’t control all the odors.”

John Bowen, president of King Kelly Marmalade Co., said the firm wanted to buy the property for a warehouse and truck storage area. The Zoe Christian Fellowship Church of Cerritos wanted to buy the land to build a church and senior housing units, Pastor Ed Smith said.

But council members said the city is under pressure to comply with the state housing mandate. Cerritos is one of many California cities that has not provided adequate housing for low- and moderate-income residents. Last fall, the city was ordered by the state Department of Housing and Community Development to set a date for filing an affordable housing plan or face legal action.

Officials also pointed out that the city is almost completely developed. More than 90% of the homes in Cerritos are owner-occupied, and the Dumont Avenue site is the only vacant land owned by the city that is suitable for a housing project, said Bob Brady, assistant planning manager.

The city must provide 1,200 to 1,500 low- to moderate-income housing units before 1995 to meet state requirements, Brady said. The city has never built affordable housing, and only 31 rental units receive federal rent subsidies.

The elderly population in Cerritos has increased significantly in the last decade, according to the 1990 Census. Residents 55 or older increased from 4,127, or 7.8% of the population in 1980, to 7,128, or 13.4% of the city’s population in 1990. The census also reported about 1,000 low-income households with elderly residents.