Plan for 68-unit senior care facility gets H.B. Planning Commission approval

A proposed 68-unit senior assisted care facility is a step closer to being built in Huntington Beach after the Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a conditional use permit.

The decision is final unless appealed to the City Council.

The facility will be built on a vacant 1-acre lot at 18922 Delaware St.

The applicant is Paul Bunton of Advocacy Development Partners. The Fremont-based company, which specializes in senior living facilities, proposed a three-story, 68,120-square-foot building, a city staff report states.

At the meeting, some commissioners were concerned about potential security and parking issues.

Commission Chairwoman Connie Mandic questioned Bunton about access to the building, specifically whether the facility would require a key card for entrance.

Bunton said it would not use key cards but that his group has never had problems with intruders in any of its other locations in Pleasanton, San Jose, Napa, Fremont, Mill Valley and Beaverton, Ore.

Bunton said the building would be secure because it would be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Commission Vice Chairman Bill Crowe said he believed the facility would probably be safe and that any security concerns could be easily solved through a sit-down with police.

Commissioner John Scandura said he was concerned there wouldn’t be enough parking for visitors.

The facility’s lot is to be largely occupied by the vehicles of its workers, 22 of whom would be onsite at any given time. But Scandura asked Bunton to reserve five spots for visitors.

Bunton said the business would prefer four reserved spaces for visitors. Scandura said he would hate to hold up the project over one parking spot.

Mandic said she believed the facility may quickly face parking problems.

The building is planned to include 89 beds in its 68 units, as well as dining areas, entertainment and activity rooms, a beauty salon and a fitness center.

Advocacy Development Partners has said the facility will “address an increasing need for assisted living facilities in Orange County.”

The city staff report says market research shows that Huntington Beach and surrounding areas have a “distinct demand for services of this quality.”

The new facility will mirror the height of a nearby condominium complex, reflect Spanish Colonial architecture and “contribute to the sense of community by respecting the scale, proportion and character of the surrounding area,” according to the staff report.

In a presentation at Tuesday’s meeting, city Associate Planner Christopher Wong said the applicant engaged with the community by holding two meetings where the public aired grievances about the project.

At the first meeting in September, Wong said, people cited concerns about traffic and construction hours. By the second meeting in March, all issues had been allayed, Bunton said.

The Planning Commission’s meeting was the first since member Clem Dominguez died this month. Mandic dedicated the meeting in his honor.