Anaheim, CA Marking an important step for Anaheim’s Rebuild Beach initiative, Innovative Housing Opportunities (IHO) kicked off construction on an intergenerational 47-unit affordable housing community located at 208 South Beach Blvd. The 28,327-square-foot property, called Lincoln Beach, will house low-income seniors with 10 percent of the apartments dedicated to youth transitioning out of foster care (TAY). Construction is set for completion by Q3 2026.
IHO’s Lincoln Beach property is part of a larger mixed-income development at the site, which includes 60 market rate and moderate income for sale townhomes developed by Brandywine Homes, set to begin construction later this year. IHO’s development also includes the planned adaptive reuse of an existing gas station at the corner of Lincoln and Beach. Called “The Launch Pad,” will be a new small business incubator and hyper-local community hub designed to spark local entrepreneurship, support the community’s economic growth, and become a gathering spot. Development planning on this phase will begin late 2025.
“IHO believes in a mixed-income and mixed-use model where we can equip our residents to move in, move up, move ahead, and reach back. Through our comprehensive development strategy and partnership with Brandywine, we are creating an intergenerational high-performance community development model that makes home ownership attainable, and we further IHO’s commitment to social and economic mobility,” said Rochelle Mills, IHO President and CEO.
Lincoln Beach is part of Anaheim’s initiative to transform a 1.5-mile stretch of Beach Blvd. into a walkable and livable street with new homes, businesses and public spaces. Launched in 2021, the initiative is focused on demolishing motels and other blighted buildings along the street to make way for redevelopment opportunities.
“This new construction signals that the city is serious about reclaiming this neighborhood for hard working people and small businesses. This is exactly the kind of thoughtful, community driven progress we need. It’s not just about housing, it’s about helping people build stable and fulfilling lives,” said Anaheim Council Member Ryan Balius, during a recent groundbreaking ceremony. “What excites me most about this project is the people it’s going to serve -our seniors and young adults. Too often these groups fall through the cracks, but this development is tailored to their needs, combining affordable housing with the support and opportunities that people need to thrive,” he added.
IHO has been a significant contributor in the city’s revitalization of its West Anaheim community and Beach Blvd., having developed the affordable communities of El Verano, a 54-unit, three-story property for low income and formerly homeless seniors, and Rockwood, a 70-unit property dedicated to low income and formerly homeless families.
“We are designing this new property with the community’s legacy in mind. We want our future residents to gain skills to develop personally and to build their economic self-reliance. And we want this project to be the kind of catalyst that attracts other positive development and reinvestment into the community,” Mills shared.
Financing for Lincoln Beach includes funding from City of Anaheim, Anaheim Housing Authority, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, HUD, RBC Capital Markets, and City National Bank (an RBC Company).
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About IHO: The mission of Innovative Housing Opportunities (IHO) is to enrich communities by providing high-quality affordable housing and services. IHO’s vision is to ignite powerful change that increases economic resilience and improves the quality of life for the people and communities it serves. IHO’s California development portfolio provides housing to seniors, families, foster youth, veterans, those living with mental illness, formerly homeless, developmentally disabled, and other special needs and mixed populations. Formed in 1976 to help business and government address the lack of low- to moderate-income housing in the city of Irvine, IHO today works throughout California in strategic partnerships that creatively and effectively maximize efficiencies while achieving the most attractive and well-managed environments for residents and the surrounding communities. www.ihocommunities.org.