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New Fullerton homes: affordable and “green”

February 3rd, 2010, 7:20 am · 11 Comments · posted by

Fullerton’s latest housing tract holds out promise to moderate-income buyers: the homes will be affordable and “green.” heritagewalkgoc

The city and The Olson Company broke ground Tuesday on the 2 1/2-acre site of the development, called Heritage Walk. Some of the planned 34 homes should be completed and sold within the year.

“It’s becoming important for everyone to focus on the environment,” said Kimberly Prijatel, vice president of development at the Seal Beach-based Olson Company. “So we’ve just started incorporating that into the plans for our designs.”

The three- and four-bedroom houses will sell in the “mid to high 200,000s,” said Prijatel; prospective buyers can make no more than 120 percent of Orange County’s median income to qualify.

For a family of four, that would mean a maximum income of $103,000, she said.

The homes will be loaded with green features: Energy Star-rated appliances, drought-tolerant landscaping, tankless water heaters, water-efficient plumbing fixtures and reduced turf.

groundbreakfulltnThose should gain the entire community a LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Prijatel said.

The land was acquired by the city over years, complete with relocation of former residents.

Prijatel says her company has been focusing on building housing projects that meet LEED standards for about two years, including the “Depot Walk” project in Orange.

She expects the Fullerton project to be finished by the end of 2011.

(Artist’s rendering of planned Fullerton homes courtesy The Olson Company. Photo of groundbreaking courtesy Alan Sherin, The Olson Company.)

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 11 Comments

  • matt says:
    February 3, 2010 at 10:05 am

    hoping they will set a precedence and hire Fullerton local contractors
    maybe even give the builders first dibs on owner ship ,
    imagine a thought through plan ,

  • DISCO says:
    February 3, 2010 at 10:07 am

    One of the most sensible and appropriate projects I have ever seen.

  • Mick says:
    February 3, 2010 at 10:54 am

    “water-efficient plumbing fixtures” Toilets that you have to flush 3 times.

    ‘reduced turf” Small lot size, possible zero lot line?

  • Kris says:
    February 3, 2010 at 11:09 am

    Where in Fullerton are they located?

  • Cyn says:
    February 3, 2010 at 11:24 am

    One typo…The article states “mid to high $200s” the Heritage walk website says “from the high $200s”…

  • AG says:
    February 3, 2010 at 11:39 am

    The three- and four-bedroom houses will sell in the “mid to high 200,000s,” said Prijatel;
    She expects the Fullerton project to be finished by the end of 2011.

    I wonder if “mid to high 200k” in 2011 will be too high or too low for a house by then. Any guesses?

  • Froggmann says:
    February 3, 2010 at 11:49 am

    I was skeptical when I first saw the headline, namely “Affordable” but even if they are in the high 200s that’s still pretty reasonable for OC. especially with the energy saving features. My only problem is I don’t think my hobby (Working on my own vehicles) will mesh well with the community.

  • sowhat says says:
    February 3, 2010 at 11:58 am

    I remember a similar situation that took place in Placentia. The homes were advertised just as these in the mid range of $100K and no more than 120K of median income thing….. That was 10 years ago. As a person of interest, I called and later found out that my earnings of $32K year was too much income to qualify and that the prices are no longer mid $100K and increased to $280K for the 3 bedroom I was looking at…..

    I guess my point is…who will really own these houses when they are done building them….some who can fit their need and make payments…..not to include those who actually qualify or most importantly qualify with the terms set…..SCAM…somewhere..

  • Charles says:
    February 3, 2010 at 1:11 pm

    ‘Reduced turf’ indeed – 34 houses on 2.5 acres? That’s around 3,000 square feet per lot.

  • Daisy O says:
    February 3, 2010 at 3:58 pm

    “prospective buyers can make no more than 120 percent of Orange County’s median income to qualify. For a family of four, that would mean a maximum income of $103,000, she said.”

    It’s a state mandate that all cities in California are required to zone for a certain number of low-income housing, and this probably helps fulfill Fullerton’s requirements. While the Fullerton and the developers have good intentions on trying to make housing affordable, they are shutting out a lot of white-collar professionals who have a 2-worker household and are struggling to enter the housing market.

    Policies like this effectively shut out the middle class.

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