Buellton Village Senior Apartments is ready to break ground after nearly a decade of delays.
The affordable housing development features 50 units dedicated to serving seniors and senior veterans, which was proposed by Ventura-based nonprofit affordable housing developer and services provider Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation, said Derrick Wada, Cabrillo’s director of real estate development.
“There is a significant and growing need for not only affordable housing, but also senior housing. And this particular project was a part of a larger master plan for development,” Wada said. “It was originally supposed to be the first project completed; unfortunately due to funding it is now the last piece of master plan development.”
The project, which sits at 332 and 334 Valley Vineyard Circle, is one of two planned residential projects within Buellton’s specific plan for this area, according to Buellton’s Community Engagement Page.
The Village Senior Apartments relied on 9 percent tax credits—a competitive California tax credit used to facilitate affordable housing development. There are only two rounds per year for 9 percent tax credits, Wada said.
With about $24 million in funding secured, Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation is celebrating a groundbreaking ceremony for the village’s construction on Aug. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“This is a really big milestone for all of these affordable housing developments. This is obviously a time to celebrate, really a time for the community to get together, listen to various stakeholders in this project,” Wada said. “We are hoping to get state representatives because there’s state financing, but the mayor, county representatives, the developer will be there, the project manager will be there. It’s really just to understand the project a little bit more and really an opportunity to celebrate and meet the folks involved.”
Prior to moving the project forward, Cabrillo conducted a community needs assessment and made sure the nonprofit aligned its work with the needs for senior housing in the Buellton area.
“I know there is an aging population specifically in Buellton; this project aligns perfectly with the city’s needs as well,” he said.
The 50-unit complex will include 44 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units with one unit designated for an on-site property manager. There will be a community room, a community garden, office space, on-site laundry, on-site parking, and outdoor gathering spaces for the seniors to get together, he said.
“We are incorporating solar into Village Senior Apartments, all of our appliances are electric, we are doing drought tolerant landscaping … those are some of the examples in terms of sustainability that we have incorporated into the design,” Wada said.
Neighboring communities have been generally pretty supportive of the project, he said, adding that Cabrillo continues meeting with the neighbors to address any concerns they have about the development.
“I just met with our neighbors north of the project, the president of the [homeowners association] to talk about Village Senior, that the project will ramp up, [and] the neighbors could expect noise and dust—it’s a construction site, but that’s an example of the type of communication we use,” Wada said.
Construction is scheduled to be completed at the end of the 2025 fiscal year and with the doors open for leasing in early 2026, he said. While Cabrillo hasn’t begun its outreach process, any interested individuals are invited to reach out to be put on an internal waitlist to have potential candidates ready.
“We want to make sure we’re building a community that we are not just a one-off development and our seniors are siloed. We want to make sure this is a community, and that’s something we’ve always strived for in our development and establishing that sense of community,” Wada said.
Highlight:
• Lompoc’s Charlotte’s Web Bookmobile announced its first edible books contest will take place on Aug. 9 at the Lompoc Chamber’s Old Town Market. Young chefs ages 8 to 14 are invited to create an edible masterpiece based on their favorite book or character from a book. From decorating a cupcake to represent a favorite literary character to creating a scene from a favorite book out of fruit slices, kids have a wide selection of edible tools to depict their favorite stories. Participants must register at tinyurl.com/EdibleBooksContest2024 by Aug. 8 at 5 p.m. Participants will bring their edible books for display and judging outside the bookmobile, parked on H Street and Cypress Avenue. Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne and Missy Morales—Sweet Baking Co. owner—will judge the creations and award best in show, funniest/punniest, most checked out, most creative, and people’s choice.
Reach Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor at [email protected].
