Apartments OKd Despite Neighbors’ Objections

The City Council this week approved a two- and three-story senior apartment complex over objections from residents in nearby single-family neighborhoods.

The council voted 3 to 2 to allow 176 apartments at the northeast corner of Bradford Avenue and Carlson Lane.

The developer, Whelan Property Management Inc. of Costa Mesa, had proposed building 183 units.

Council members Maria Moreno and Michael L. Maertzweiler cast the dissenting votes. Both had concerns about the number of apartments on the 3.25-acre parcel and the three-story height.

Moreno said she favored eliminating the third-floor units and expressed concern about the number of parking spaces for tenants and guests.

Neighbors had complained that the project will decrease their privacy and property values while increasing traffic. Homeowners also wanted a project with a maximum height of two stories.

One resident called the development a monstrosity and likened it to a “small city backing up to our property.”

The council majority approved the project on the condition that seven third-floor apartments facing homes on the north and south be eliminated to give neighbors privacy.

In the plan presented to the council, the developer had already eliminated eight third-floor units along the east side of the property next to homes.

Construction is expected to begin in January, with completion by December 1999.