Simpson Debuts Project Aimed at Families

HOLTVILLE, CA-Simpson Housing Solutions of Long Beach has completed an 81-unit multifamily complex including hard-to-find three-bedroom and four-bedroom apartments in this Imperial Valley community. The new $12.3-million development, called Orchard View Apartments, consists of 100% affordable units and is leasing up quickly, Simpson says.

The Orchard View Apartments range from 1,058 sf to 1,217 sf and are designed for families. All units have been set aside for households earning a maximum of 30% to 60% of the area median income for Imperial County, as published by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Rents range from $311 to $707 for three-bedroom units and from $341 to $783 for a four-bedroom unit.

The Orchard View project exemplifies what Michael Costa, president of Simpson Housing Solutions, describes as "a growing portfolio of high-quality affordable housing communities" that SHS is developing in smaller towns and rural areas throughout California and the West. The existing housing stock in these areas is typically older, with few amenities, so working families often don't have much in the way of housing choices, particularly when it comes to scarce three- and four-bedroom apartments, Costa says.

The Orchard View complex, at 950 E. Fifth St., is a two-story garden-style complex that was designed by Maple Dell + McClelland Architects. Amenities include a clubhouse and community room, a computer learning center, a fitness center, a pool, a laundry room, an outdoor barbecue area, a tot lot and landscaping.

The apartments feature built-in kitchen appliances, central heating and air conditioning, cable TV hook-ups, walk-in closets, patios and balconies. The project was financed in part through an allocation of $11 million in federal low-income housing tax credits and was developed by SHS in partnership with Los Angeles-based nonprofit Telacu Homes Inc.