A major residential development project is moving forward in Buena Park following a public hearing with the City Council. During that meeting, the Buena Park City Council gave the green light for the 1,302-unit Village at Buena Park development.
The approximately 25-acre project site is located at 8150 La Palma Ave. at the southeast corner of La Palma and Stanton Avenues. The property is currently developed with a vacant Sears retail building and auto center. The development for the site comes from Merlone Geier with TCA Architects leading the project designs and Urban Arena in charge of landscape designs.
Overall, the project would include the demolition of the Sears and the construction of 1,176 multifamily units and 126 townhomes. Of the total unit count, 176 would be reserved for affordable housing. In addition, the project includes 39,000 square feet of amenity and lobby space, 2,971 parking spaces and an approximately one-acre park that would be available to the public.
“We also are stepping the building down adjacent to the park as it approaches the townhomes… We wanted to create a walkable environment, not just within the project but around the perimeter,” TCA Architect’s Bob Collins said during the meeting.
The site would also be located near various offsite amenities, including the Buena Park Downtown Mall, which is just east of the site. Other popular Orange County attractions, like Knott’s Berry Farm, are also located nearby.
Prior to the City Council meeting, the Buena Park project had gone before the Planning Commission in April. At that meeting, the project received a split vote resulting in the project moving forward to the City Council without the Planning Commission’s recommendation.
At the close of the meeting, council members voiced several concerns about the project including its affordability, size of the project and the construction timeline. However, the vote boiled down to the need for more housing. In approving the project, council members largely expressed their hopes that the project would bring more housing to a variety of communities, including young people and those in the workforce.
“There is a need for 2.5 million housing units in this state right now. THere is an average in the last few years of 100,000 units permitted in California. At that rate, it will be 25 years before we meet our needs of today. We are in desperate need of housing,” Buena Park Mayor Pro Tem Susan Sonne said.
The property has been owned by Merlone Geier for several years. The firm acquired the Sears property over a series of transactions between 2019 and 2021, according to city documents. In June of 2021, Merlone Geier submitted a preliminary application for the project.
Founded in 1993, Merlone Geier is a real estate investment firm that primarily focuses on the acquisition of community and neighborhood shopping centers across the West Coast. To date, the company has acquired 174 West Coast properties totaling more than 28.7 million square feet.
