Planning and Building Agency
www.santa-ana.org/pba
Item # 19
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
July 7, 2026
TOPIC: Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04 – SWC Alton & Raitt Residential Development (2100 West Alton Avenue)
AGENDA TITLE
Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04 – SWC Alton & Raitt Residential Development (2100 West Alton Avenue)
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
1. Adopt a resolution approving Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04; and RESOLUTION NO. 2026-XXX entitled A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA APPROVING DENSITY BONUS AGREEMENT NO. 2026-04 TO ALLOW DEVELOPMENT OF A 36-UNIT SINGLE-FAMILY
DETACHED RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION, INCLUDING THREE UNITS
PROPOSED AS AFFORDABLE TO VERY LOW-INCOME AND THREE
PROPOSED AS AFFORDABLE TO MODERATE-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS FOR THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 2100 WEST ALTON AVENUE (APNS: 412-541- 06 AND 412-541-10)
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute a Density Bonus Agreement with BDC Santa Ana LLC, for a 55-year covenant term, for a for-sale residential development consisting of a thirty-six (36) unit single-family detached residential subdivision, which includes three (3) units designated as affordable to very low-income and three (3) units affordable to moderate-income households at 2100 West Alton Avenue (Agreement No. A-2026-XXX); and
3. Determine that, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines, the recommended action (below) is exempt from further review under Section 15332 (Class 32) of the CEQA Guidelines (In-Fill Development Projects).
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: Yes
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Greg Ocasek, representing Warmington Residential California, Inc. (“Applicant”), on behalf of BDC Santa Ana LLC (“Property Owner”), is requesting approval of Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04 to allow the construction of a for-sale residential development
Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04 – SWC Alton & Raitt Residential Development (2100 West Alton Avenue)
July 7, 2026
5 8
1 1
consisting of a thirty-six (36) unit single-family detached subdivision, which includes three (3) units designated as affordable to very low-income and three (3) units affordable to moderate-income households at 2100 West Alton Avenue (“Project”). As proposed, the Project will utilize concessions and waivers or reductions to deviate from development standards as memorialized by the density bonus agreement pursuant to California Government Code Sections 65915 through 65918 and Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC) Sections 41-1600 through 41-1607. Staff recommends approval of the Applicant’s request as the Project is consistent with the intent of the General Plan by facilitating additional affordable and market-rate ownership housing on a vacant, previously developed site within an established neighborhood, remains compatible with surrounding residential and institutional uses, and would not result in adverse environmental or public health impacts.
Planning Commission Action
On June 22, 2026, the Planning Commission held a public hearing for the Project and voted 5:1:1 (Commissioner Benninger voting no; Commissioner Leo absent) to approve Vesting Tentative Tract Map (VTTM) No. 2026-05 and to recommend that the City Council approve Density Bonus Agreement (DBA) No. 2026-04. Moreover, pursuant to SAMC Section 41-1607. In accordance with SAMC Section 41-1602(d), the Planning Commission made the required findings to approve concessions and waivers from the development standards as part of the density bonus agreement. Following this vote, the item requires City Council approval of the DBA.
DISCUSSION
Table 1: Project and Location Information
Project Description
The Project site consists of two contiguous parcels totaling approximately 2.48 acres, located at 2100 West Alton Avenue, at the southwest corner of Alton Avenue and Raitt Street. The site is relatively flat and currently contains remnants of the former YMCA facility, including associated structures, paving, a drained pool, and open field areas. The Project includes construction of 36 three-story single-family detached dwelling units developed as Item Information
Project Address and Council Ward 2100 West Alton Avenue – Ward 4 Nearest Intersection Alton Avenue and Raitt Street
General Plan Designation Low Density Residential (LR-7) Zoning Designation Specific Development No. 4 (SD-4)
North Single-Family Residential, Railroad
East Church
South SchoolSurrounding Land Uses
West School
Property Size 2.48 acres (108,009 sq. ft.)
Existing Site Development Vacant (former YMCA facility, parking lot, pool, and field) Use Permissions Single-Family Residential
Zoning Code Sections Affected Specific Development (SD-4); SAMC Section 41-593; Chapter 34 (Subdivisions); and Article XVI.I (Density Bonus)
Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04 – SWC Alton & Raitt Residential Development (2100 West Alton Avenue)
July 7, 2026
5 8
1 1
a small-lot subdivision with attached garages, private and common open space, guest parking, landscaping, internal circulation, and frontage improvements along Alton Avenue.
Of the total units in the development, six units are proposed to be affordable: three units reserved for very low-income households earning 30% to 50% of area median income (AMI) and three units reserved for moderate-income households earning 80% to 120% of AMI, which is currently set at $84,600 and $163,900, adjusted for a four-person household size, as published by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Four of the affordable units will be three-bedroom units, while the remaining two will be four- bedroom units. The proposed units will range in size between 1,859 and 2,189 square feet and will contain full kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, and common living areas.
The Project site is proposed to be subdivided into 38 lots ranging from approximately 1,450 to 2,058 square feet, which include 36 residential lots, one central common-area lot, and one lot dedicated to internal access. The community is designed with homes along the perimeter generally facing inward, with the exception of eight homes fronting Alton Avenue.
The remaining homes are located within the interior of the site and are arranged around a central common open space, which is encircled by the internal private residential drive. This internal residential drive is a private road, not a public street, and therefore is not subject to City development standards for public streets. Vehicular access will be provided from Alton Avenue via a private road under an easement shared with the adjacent church, connecting to the Project’s internal private residential drive that serves the residential lots. Construction is planned as a single phase, progressing from demolition to grading, utilities, paving, vertical construction, and final landscaping.
The single-family homes are offered in two primary floor plans, with minor variations for units featuring front entries along Alton Avenue instead of the side of the building. Residential floor areas will range from approximately 1,859 to 2,189 square feet and include two to four bedrooms and 2.5 to 3.5 bathrooms (see Table 2). All homes will feature attached two-car garages and second-floor balconies oriented toward its private open space. Pursuant to SD- 4 development standards, building heights may reach up to 35 feet; the tallest proposed residence is approximately 35 feet to the ridgeline.
The two floor plans will be available in Spanish Modern and Contemporary Craftsman architectural styles, which are distributed throughout the development to provide visual variety and architectural interest. The Spanish Modern homes will include stucco exteriors in a neutral color palette, clay S-tile roofing, stucco foam trim, metal railings, and exposed wood rafters. The Contemporary Craftsman homes will incorporate stucco, board-and- batten detailing, asphalt shingle roofing, fiber-cement lap siding, exposed eave rafters, wood railings, decorative shutters, and metal-roof awnings. All homes will use vinyl windows, metal garage doors, and fiberglass entry doors. Overall, the Project includes durable design and construction materials intended to ensure it ages well over the life of the buildings.
Table 2: Total Units by Type
Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04 – SWC Alton & Raitt Residential Development (2100 West Alton Avenue)
July 7, 2026
5 8
1 1
Unit Type and Size Range Quantity Percent of Overall Project Three-Bedroom (1,859 sq. ft.) 22 61%
Four-Bedroom (2,189 sq. ft.) 14 39%
Total 36 100%
The Project provides 41,189 square feet of open space, representing approximately 39.3% of the total net buildable site area. Common open space includes a central park, landscaped frontage areas, and HOA-maintained landscaping. The central park offers approximately 1,200 square feet of common open space and features amenities such as a decorative trellis, dining table, lounge seating, and a barbecue grill. In addition, 16,510 square feet of ground-level private open space is distributed throughout the residential lots.
Vehicular access is provided from the easement road off Alton Avenue to the development’s 26-foot wide internal private looping drive. The Project provides 89 parking spaces, including 72 garage spaces and 17 guest spaces. Of the 17 guest spaces on site, ten will be located along the residential private drive and seven angled spaces will be located immediately outside the Project’s perimeter walls within an Orange County Sanitation District easement.
A median and directional markings are proposed in the easement road to ensure right- in/right-out only movements to and from the community while separating residential traffic from the adjacent church traffic before exiting back onto Alton Avenue. Pedestrian walkways are provided to and from the units fronting Alton Avenue. Internally, pedestrian walkways are limited; where walkways do not extend to all units, pedestrians must use the private drive to access certain units.
Density Bonus
The California Density Bonus Law allows developers proposing five or more residential units to seek increases in base density for providing on-site housing units in exchange for providing affordable units on site. To help make constructing on-site affordable units feasible, the law allows developers to seek up to five incentives/concessions and an unlimited number of waivers or reductions in development standards. The incentives/concessions are generally reductions in site development standards or modification of zoning code requirements or architectural design requirements, and waivers are essentially variances from development standards (a site or construction condition). The purpose of the State Density Bonus Law is to encourage the development and availability of affordable housing. Pursuant to California Government Code sections 65915 (d)(1) and 65915 (e)(1), a local jurisdiction is limited in its ability to deny requested incentives, concessions, and waivers. The first version of the Density Bonus Law was adopted in 1979 and has since been amended at various times. In early 2017, the law was amended to restrict the ability of local jurisdictions to require studies to “justify” the density bonus and requested incentives/waivers and places the onus on local jurisdictions to prove that the incentives/concessions or waivers are not financially warranted.
Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04 – SWC Alton & Raitt Residential Development (2100 West Alton Avenue)
July 7, 2026
5 8
1 1
Pursuant to the California Density Bonus law, a Project’s affordability level is determined by dividing the number of proposed affordable units by the allowable “base” density (i.e., 7 du/ac). Moreover, the law states that units added by a density bonus are excluded from the calculations. The base density for the 2.48-acre site at 7 du/ac yields 18 units. By setting aside 16% of base units (three units) for very-low-income households and 16% (three units) for moderate-income households, the Project qualifies for a combined density bonus: 50% for very low-income and 50% for moderate-income under Government Code Section 65915(f), resulting in a 100% density bonus. Based on the Project’s proposed six affordable units and their rates, the Applicant may request four incentives/concessions, together with unlimited waivers, pursuant to Government Code Section 65915 et al. (Density Bonuses and Other Incentives). As such, the maximum unit yield for the 2.48-acre site using the LR- 7 General Plan density and the State density bonus is 36 units (14.52 du/ac), as outlined in Table 3.
Table 3: Density Bonus Calculation
Affordable Units – 32%*
(3 units Very-Low & 3 Units Moderate Income)
Density Bonus Calculation Units Allowed
Base Density – Low Density Residential (LR-7) 2.48 acres x 7 du/ac = 17.3 rounded up per State law 18 base units
50-Percent State Density Bonus for providing
16% affordable at very-low income (3 units) (18 units x 0.5) = 9 +9 units 50-Percent State Density Bonus for providing
16% affordable at moderate income (3 units) (18 units x 0.5) = 9 +9 units Total Units 36 units allowed,
36 proposed
*Affordable unit percentage is calculated excluding units added by a density bonus.
The City has analyzed the Project and has identified several areas of potential impacts; however, the conditions of approval proposed for the Project are intended to address the Project’s potential impacts.
Under the Density Bonus Law, the developer sought specific concessions and waivers from certain SD-4 and SAMC standards to facilitate project development. Table 4 outlines the concession and waivers requested by the Applicant and approved by the Planning Commission on June 22, 2026.
Table 4: Requested Concession and Waivers
Standard Required by the SD-4 or SAMC Provided
Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
(Concession)
0.5 FAR maximum
SD-4, Section 7 1.62 FAR
Walls and Fences Height
(Concession)
3 ft. max. along non-arterials
8 ft. max. all others
SAMC Section 41-610
3.5 ft. (non-arterial, Alton Avenue)
12 ft. (other)
Open Space
(Concession)
50% minimum
SD-4, Section 15 39.3%
Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04 – SWC Alton & Raitt Residential Development (2100 West Alton Avenue)
July 7, 2026
5 8
1 1
Standard Required by the SD-4 or SAMC Provided
Vehicular and Pedestrian
Circulation
(Concession)
Separated vehicle and pedestrian
circulation
SD-4, Section 16 & SAMC 41-591(k)
Limited pedestrian walkways
provided, pedestrian access to lots
require use of vehicular drive
Minimum Parcel Area
(Waiver)
4,000 sq. ft.
SD-4, Section 5 1,450 sq. ft.
Front Yard Setbacks
(Waiver)
10 ft.
SD-4, Section 8 0.33 ft.
Side Yard Setbacks
(Waiver)
4.5 ft.
SD-4, Section 9 3.5 ft.
Rear Yard Setbacks
(Waiver)
10 ft.
SD-4, Section 10 0.41 ft.
Onsite Parking
The site is parked in compliance with Government Code Section 65915(p)(1)(B)(C) and provides 2.47 spaces per unit. The California Density Bonus Law allows 1.5 parking spaces per three-bedroom units and 2.5 parking spaces per four-bedroom units, inclusive of handicapped and guest parking as seen in Table 5 below. The Project provides 89 total parking spaces, or 2.47 spaces per unit, including two covered parking spaces for each residence and 17 open/guest parking stalls.
Table 5: Required and Provided Parking
Unit Type Required Ratio Units Parking Spaces
Three-Bedroom 1.5 spaces 22 33 spaces required
Four-Bedroom 2.5 spaces 14 35 spaces required
Total 36 68 spaces required,
89 spaces provided
The Project is not anticipated to have any parking impacts. However, to proactively address any neighborhood parking impacts that could result frossm the Project, the conditions of approval for the VTTM include provisions requiring ongoing parking management practices, to be incorporated into the final recorded covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs), and applicable throughout the life of the Project, including measures such as:
Requiring onsite parking permits (such as stickers or hang-tags) for any parking in the surface guest parking spaces;
Policies for maximum time vehicles may be parked in the surface guest spaces; Policies for towing unauthorized vehicles; vehicles parked in unauthorized locations, such as fire lanes; vehicles parking in surface guest parking without a sticker, hang- tag, or other identifiers; and vehicles parked longer than any maximum guest parking timeframes allowed; and
Routine garage inspections to ensure garages are available for vehicle parking.
These operational measures ensure that the Project is compatible with its surroundings and will not be detrimental to the health, safety, or general welfare of nearby residents.
Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04 – SWC Alton & Raitt Residential Development (2100 West Alton Avenue)
July 7, 2026
5 8
1 1
Affordable Housing Opportunity and Creation Ordinance
The Project exceeds the affordable housing goal for the ownership category of the City’s Affordable Housing Opportunity and Creation Ordinance (AHOCO) by providing six for- sale, very low-income (30-50%) and moderate-income (80-120%) on-site units in place of two moderate-income households. These factors significantly enhance the opportunity for income-eligible Santa Ana households to own a home in the City at a lower cost. The units will be dispersed throughout the community. Four of the affordable units will be three-bedroom units, while the remaining two will be four-bedroom units. The proposed units will range in size between 1,859 and 2,189 square feet and will contain full kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, and open/common living areas. The developer’s Inclusionary Housing Plan has been reviewed and approved by the City’s Housing Division.
Table 6: Affordable Unit Breakdown
Unit Type Units
Affordable
Units in
Project Percent of Unit Type
Three-Bedroom (1,859 sq. ft.) 4 22 18%
Four-Bedroom (2,189 sq. ft.) 2 14 14%
Total 6 36
Public Notification and Community Outreach
As the City Council's approval of this agreement does not constitute a public hearing, no public notification or community outreach is required under applicable state law or local ordinances prior to Council action. However, staff notes that project notifications were posted, published, and mailed in accordance with City and State regulations for the required Planning Commission public hearing. In addition, staff contacted representatives of the Metro Classic, Thornton Park, Morning Sunwood, Republic Homes Neighborhood Associations to ensure they were aware of the project and Planning Commission public hearing.
In addition to the above noticing, the Project was subject to the City’s Sunshine Ordinance (Ordinance No. NS-3040) requiring two meetings to facilitate early public participation.
The first meeting took place on September 9, 2025, with 28 community members attending in person and 12 participating remotely. Attendees raised questions regarding parking, traffic, pedestrian and vehicular access, building design, and environmental review. The Applicant stated that the Project would provide 82 parking spaces and that the HOA would require garage spaces to be used for vehicle parking; however, the HOA would not be able to restrict residents from parking on public streets where permitted. The Applicant also acknowledged concerns regarding school-related traffic and explained that the Project would include a new sidewalk connection from Alton Avenue into the site.
Density Bonus Agreement No. 2026-04 – SWC Alton & Raitt Residential Development (2100 West Alton Avenue)
July 7, 2026
5 8
1 1
The second meeting was held on December 1, 2023, with 33 in-person and 25 remote attendees. Public feedback focused on parking adequacy, density, and traffic impacts, alongside questions about affordability, project design, access, security, the entitlement process, and environmental review. In response, the Applicant presented revised architectural plans and increased on-site parking by seven spaces. Additional modifications included updates to the easement road to accommodate the added parking, as well as the introduction of a new median and directional striping to improve vehicular circulation. Materials from the two required community meetings and all materials were published to the Project’s webpage on the City’s website at: www.santa-ana.org/2100-w- alton-avenue-residential-development/.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines, the Project is exempt from further review, pursuant to Section 15332 (Class 32) of the CEQA Guidelines (In-Fill Development Projects), because the Project is consistent with the applicable General Plan land use designation and applicable General Plan policies, as well as with applicable zoning designation and regulations. Moreover, the proposed development occurs within the City limits on a project site of no more than five acres; the Project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species; approval of the Project would not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality; and the site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services. The above-mentioned analysis and use of a Class 32 categorical exemption is substantiated by the analysis provided and included as part of Exhibit 3 of this report.
Based on this analysis, a Notice of Exemption, Environmental Review No. 2025-67, will be filed for this Project.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
EXHIBITS
1. Resolution – Density Bonus Agreement
2. Draft Density Bonus Agreement
3. June 22, 2026 – Planning Commission Staff Report and Exhibits ( hyperlink) Submitted By: Ali Pezeshkpour, AICP, Executive Director of Planning and Building Agency, and Michael L. Garcia, Executive Director of Community Development Agency
Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager