Agenda Item   

AGENDA STAFF REPORT

 

                                                                                                                        ASR Control  25-000494

 

MEETING DATE:

12/16/25

legal entity taking action:

Board of Supervisors and Orange County Housing Authority

board of supervisors district(s):

1

SUBMITTING Agency/Department:

OC Community Resources   (Approved)

Department contact person(s):

Dylan Wright (714) 480-2788 

 

 

Julia Bidwell (714) 480-2991

 

 

Subject:  Approve Loan and Project-Based Vouchers for Lampson Workforce Housing

 

     ceo CONCUR

County Counsel Review

Clerk of the Board

          Concur

No Legal Objection

Discussion

 

 

3 Votes Board Majority

 

 

 

    Budgeted: N/A

Current Year Cost:  N/A

Annual Cost: N/A

 

 

 

    Staffing Impact:

No

# of Positions:           

Sole Source:   N/A

    Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A

   Funding Source:    N/A

County Audit in last 3 years: No

   Levine Act Review Completed: Yes

 

    Prior Board Action:         2/25/2025 #22

 

RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):

 

 

Acting as the Board of Supervisors:

 

1.

Authorize the OC Community Resources Director or designee to utilize up to $1,237,500 for loan financing in available funding as outlined in the Financial Impact Section to Lampson Apartments LP, a limited partnership formed by C&C Development Co., LLC,  the co-managing general partner with a second managing general partner to be determined, for the development of Lampson Workforce Housing, a 77-unit affordable housing development located at 4665 Lampson Avenue in the City of Los Alamitos, in accordance with the 2025 Supportive Housing Notice of Funding Availability guidelines and policy.

 

2.

Approve loan commitment to Lampson Apartments LP, a limited partnership, in the amount not to exceed $1,237,500, subject to contingencies outlined in this Agenda Staff Report.

 


 

3.

Approve subordination of the up to $1,237,500 County loan at construction financing to a first trust deed loan of approximately $22,500,000 and a second trust deed loan of $9,243,742, with the ability to increase the subordination amount up to 20 percent due to an increase of construction costs, and at permanent financing to a first trust deed loan of approximately $14,957,850, as set forth in this Agenda Staff Report and authorize the OC Community Resources Director or designee to subordinate to additional senior debt up to 100 percent of the cumulative loan to value based on the as-built appraised market value, if necessary, based on any future changes in the project financing.

 

 

4.

Authorize the OC Community Resources Director or designee to execute subordination agreements; standard set of loan documents and restrictive covenants; and such additional agreements, contracts, instructions and instruments necessary or appropriate for construction and permanent loan financing.

 

 

5.

Regarding the County’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) transfer policy as it applies to this Development, approve one of two options:

 

 

 

a.

Option A: Waive the County’s RHNA transfer policy, allowing the City of Los Alamitos to retain RHNA credit for the four County-restricted units utilizing only County’s local revenue resources.

 

 

 

b.

Option B: Require the City of Los Alamitos to provide the County with RHNA credit for the four County-restricted units utilizing only County’s local revenue resources.

 

 

6.

Approve waiver of the County’s match requirement under the 2025 Supportive Housing Notice of Funding Availability.

 

 

Acting as the Board of Commissioners to the Orange County Housing Authority:

 

 

7.

Approve the selection of Lampson Workforce Housing for the utilization of eight Project-Based Vouchers in accordance with the policies and procedures identified in the Orange County Housing Authority Administrative Plan and authorize the execution of related documents, instruments and agreements.

 

8.

Authorize the Executive Director of the Orange County Housing Authority or designee to execute agreements related to the commitment of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Project-Based Vouchers in connection with Lampson Workforce Housing, provided the commitment incorporates the business and financial terms and is subject to the contingencies set forth in this Agenda Staff Report and is approved as to form by County Counsel.

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

Approval of the County loan and commitment of eight Project-Based Vouchers subject to the contingencies set forth and subordination of the County loan at construction and permanent financing to senior debt for Lampson Workforce Housing will help support the production of permanent supportive housing in Orange County.

 

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

 

On February 25, 2025, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the recommended changes in policy and process for the 2025 Supportive Housing Notice of Funding Availability (2025 NOFA) and authorized the OC Community Resources (OCCR) Director or designee to issue the 2025 NOFA making up to $12.05 million in funding and up to 150 Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs) available for the development of extremely low-income housing and return to the Board for funding commitments to individual projects.

                                                                                                                          

Lampson Apartments LP, a limited partnership formed by C&C Development Co., LLC (Developer) responded to the 2025 NOFA with a funding application requesting up to $1.2 million in capital funding and eight PBVs for a proposed 77-unit affordable and permanent supportive housing development. Lampson Workforce Housing (Development) will be located at 4665 Lampson Avenue in the City of Los Alamitos (City).

 

The Developer will serve as the co-managing general partner with a second managing general partner to be determined.  The Developer has been developing affordable housing in Orange County since 1990. To date, the Developer has produced over 3,200 rental homes throughout California. The developments have ranged from large multifamily communities, scattered site acquisitions and the adaptive reuse of hotels/motels.

 

The Development is part of a future master planned community infill reuse of a former United States Department of General Services Administration site located in the City. The proposed 77-unit affordable housing development will be built in conjunction with 169 new market-rate, for-sale homes. The master planned community is 12.3 acres, and the Development will encompass 2.2 acres of this site. The master developer, who controls the overall site, plans to start grading and site preparation activities for the master-planned community between January and March 2026. Construction on the Development is anticipated to be commence no earlier than April 2026.

 

Pursuant to 24 CFR 58.22(a), no Choice Limiting Action (CLA), such as construction or site work including grading, shall occur prior to obtaining environmental clearance, which has been received in the form of an Authority to Use Grant Funds (AUGF) on July 24, 2025. Furthermore, under 24 CFR 983.154(b) and (d), development activity shall not commence after the date of NOFA submission or occur prior to the execution of the Agreement to Enter into a Housing Assistance Payments (AHAP) contract. Since the grading is outside of the Developer’s control, and in order to maintain project feasibility, pursuant to Notice PIH-2018-16, OCHA is seeking a waiver to 24 CFR 983.154(b) and (d) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to allow the master developer to proceed with site preparation, grading, and related site work on the master-planned community prior to executing an AHAP. This waiver is essential to align with the master-planned community timeline and ensure the timely delivery of affordable housing in a high-need area.

 

The proposed Development will consist of 36 one-bedroom, 21 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom units (including one unrestricted unit for property management).  Seventy-six of the 77 units will serve very low to low-income households with incomes up to 70 percent of the area median income (AMI). Nine of those units will be restricted by the County of Orange (County) to serve individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness with incomes at 30 percent AMI. Eight of these unit rents will be subsidized by the eight PBVs from the Orange County Housing Authority. Five of the eight units will also be restricted by the Orange County Housing Finance Trust (OCHFT) to tenants who meet Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) eligibility criteria.

 

In addition to office and meeting spaces for property management and service providers, onsite amenities include 98 parking spaces, a community room and BBQ pavilion and active and passive green open spaces.

 

Onsite property management services will be provided by Advanced Property Services Management, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Developer, who will handle the maintenance, operations, property accounting, tenant oversight and navigations services. All residents will receive social services from Life Skills Training and Educational Programs, Inc., which includes services such as life skills training and financial literacy, health and wellness programs and substance abuse counseling and treatment. The five MHSA units will receive additional supportive services from the OC Health Care Agency.

 

Permanent Financing and PBVs

The Developer is requesting a permanent loan under the 2025 NOFA in an amount up to $1,237,500. The County loan will be subordinate to financing as outlined in the financial summary below. At construction financing, the County will close on its loan and is requesting authorization to increase the subordination amount up to 20 percent if there is an increase in construction cost. OCCR is also requesting authorization to subordinate to additional senior debt up to 100 percent of the cumulative loan-to-value, based on the as-built appraised market value, if necessary, based on any future changes in project financing. In determining the maximum additional senior debt to which the County will subordinate its loans, OCCR will calculate the senior debt plus the County loans and subtract that total from the current (within last six months) as-built appraised market value. If the current as-built appraised market value exceeds the cumulative senior debt plus the County loans, the County may subordinate to additional senior debt, if necessary, for the viability of the project.

 

The Developer is also requesting eight PBVs to be available to the five one-bedroom, two two-bedroom and one three-bedroom units in the Development after construction is completed and a Certificate of Occupancy is issued. These PBVs will be guaranteed for 20 years, consistent with HUD regulations and will provide rental subsidies to eight of the units restricted to 30 percent AMI by the County.

 

Upon approval of the County loan and PBVs request, the Developer intends to apply for tax credit and bond financing in February 2026.

 

The City has expressed strong support for the project and will defer $1,032,724 of the total $1.9 million in local impact fees. While this deferral reflects the City’s commitment to supporting the development, it results in a local contribution that is less than the County’s and does not meet the matching funds requirement outlined in the 2025 NOFA. Therefore, the City is requesting a waiver of the NOFA’s matching requirement (see Attachment D).

 

Below are the financial summary highlights of the Construction and Permanent Financing phase of the Development:


 

 

Construction Source of Funds

Funding Amount

Construction Loan (Tax Exempt)

$22,500,000

Construction Loan (Taxable)

$9,243,742

Orange County Housing Finance Trust (MHSA Loan)

$1,574,000

City of Los Alamitos (Def Impact Fees)

$1,032,724

General Partner Equity

$100

Deferred Developer Fee

$4,397,840

Master Developer Transfer

$3,660,000

Tax Credit Equity

$1,348,458

Other Costs Deferred Until Completion

$502,300

Total Sources of Funds

$44,259,164

 

Permanent Sources of Funds

Funding Amount

Conventional Loan (Tax-Exempt)

$14,957,850

County of Orange (15G Reserves Loan)

$1,237,500

Orange County Housing Finance Trust (MHSA Loan)

$1,574,000

City of Los Alamitos (Def Impact Fees)

$1,032,724

Master Developer Transfer

$3,660,000

General Partner Equity

$100

Tax Credit Equity

$13,484,580

State Tax Credit

$5,502,149

Deferred Developer Fee

$2,810,261

Total Sources of Funds

$44,259,164

 

Construction Uses of Funds

 

Acquisition

$3,660,000

Construction

$23,270,790

Architectural, Survey, Engineering

$1,245,000

Loan Interest & Fees

$4,719,575

Permanent Financing

$183,079

Legal/ Third Party Fees

$271,587

Reserves

$419,100

Construction Hard and Soft Cost Contingency

$2,734,579

Other costs

$2,758,197

Developer Fee

$4,997,257

Total Costs

$44,259,164

Note: Financing subject to change prior to construction and completion of Development. Underwriting guidelines are in accordance with 2025 NOFA.

 

Loan Terms

Permanent Loan:

Up to $1,237,500

Interest Rate:

Three percent simple

Term:

55 years from Qualified Project Period

Security:

Third Deed of Trust at Construction and Second Deed of Trust at Permanent Financing

Payments:

Residual Receipts per the 2025 NOFA

 

The County will record rent and occupancy restrictions on five one-bedroom, two two-bedroom and two three-bedroom units for individuals and families experiencing homelessness earning 30 percent AMI for a period of 55 years via a regulatory agreement, which will not be subordinated to any conventional deed of trust. The specific rent and occupancy restrictions may ultimately change based on the final financing structure of the Development, but in no circumstance shall restrictions be less than 30 percent AMI for the units subsidized by the PBVs.

 

RHNA Credit

Per Section 2.08 of the 2025 NOFA, for developments located in cities that receive County local funding (such as General Fund, HSA, or 15G Reserves funds), the County requires acceptance of a RHNA credit transfer from the County’s allocation to the city’s allocation, based on the number of County-restricted units. This transfer must be approved by the governing body of the city in which the Development is located. For this development, the County is providing funding for nine units and PBVs for eight of those units.  However, the RHNA transfer is optional for five MHSA-funded units.  Therefore, the remaining four County-assisted units would be subject to the RHNA transfer requirement if the Board opts not to grant a waiver of this requirement.

 

The City is requesting a waiver of the RHNA transfer requirement in an effort to retain as much needed RHNA credits as possible.  This Development will count towards fulfilling 32 percent of their RHNA obligation (see Attachment C).  According to the City, this is especially important considering the City’s limited developable land and lack of local resources available for affordable housing development. The City has also indicated this development will deliver the City’s first new affordable units in over 30 years.

 

Commitment of the County loan and commitment of the PBVs are contingent upon the following:

1.

Completion and approval of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as applicable.

2.

HUD’s approval of the waiver to 24 CFR 983.154(b) and (d).

3.

Evidence of commitment of all construction and permanent financing sources, including the OCHFT funds and tax credit award.

4.

Receipt and approval of final project development costs and revised final development proforma and financing plan (including cash flow analysis) to reflect all final funding approvals.

 

The Project Review Advisory Panel reviewed this project at their September 11, 2025, meeting and had no concerns.

 

The supportive housing units in this Development are part of the 2,396 permanent supportive housing units identified in the Housing Funding Strategy 2022 Update to address housing needs for individuals and households experiencing homelessness. As such, these nine permanent supportive housing units will contribute to the progress in this effort and provide much needed supportive housing in the near future. Additionally, these nine supportive housing units will follow the best practices, guiding principles and commitments of the Homeless Service System Pillars Report which was created by the Commission to Address Homelessness, currently known as the Commission to Address Homelessness, and accepted by the Board on October 18, 2022.


 

 

Compliance with CEQA: This action is not a project within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 (Attachment A) and is therefore not subject to CEQA, since it does not have the potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. The approval of this agenda item does not commit the County to a definite course of action in regard to a project since it is for an approval of County loans, commitment of eight PBVs, subordination of the County loan to senior debt for the Development, and to allow the County’s continued support of the production of supportive housing in Orange County. This proposed activity is therefore not subject to CEQA. Any future action connected to this approval that constitutes a project will be reviewed for compliance with CEQA.

 

Compliance with NEPA: In accordance with 24 Code of Federal Regulations Part 58 (Attachment B), an Environmental Assessment of the project was completed and an AUGF was issued by HUD on July 24, 2025 for the PBVs.

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

 

The loan commitments will only affect the notes receivable balance sheet accounts of the fund. Per budgeting practice, the loan commitments are not built into the fiscal year appropriations budget process. The $1,237,500 loan will be funded at permanent conversion anticipated in April 2028 (Fiscal Year 2027-28). The loan will be funded with 100 percent 15G Reserves in Fund 15G.

 

 

STAFFING IMPACT:

 

N/A

 

 

REVIEWING AGENCIES:

 

Office of Care Coordination
Health Care Agency

 

ATTACHMENT(S):

 

Attachment A – California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 15378
Attachment B – Code of Federal Regulations Title 24 Subtitle A Part 58
Attachment C – City of Los Alamitos Request for  RHNA Waiver
Attachment D – City of Los Alamitos Request for Waiver of Match Requirement