Item 24 - Agreement No. 2025-01 - MLC Holdings

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SPR No. 2025-01, VTTM No. 2025-01, and DBA No. 2025-01 — MLC Holdings, Inc./Meritage Homes (2020 East First Street) March 24, 2025 Page 13 The design of the units, which incorporates a storefront -style appearance adjacent to a public plaza, aligns with Goal UD-1 of the Urban Design (UD) Element. This goal seeks to enhance the physical character and livability of the city while fostering a strong sense of place, a positive community image, and a high -quality built environment. The public plaza improvements contribute to an enhanced and well -designed environment, creating a welcoming gathering space not only for future residents but also for those in neighboring properties. This design approach is also consistent with Policies UD-1.3 and UD-1.5, which encourage site designs that clearly define public spaces through thoughtful building placement and orientation while promoting community interaction through enhanced plazas and open spaces. The public plaza is strategically located at the front of the development, ensuring accessibility to the public while remaining distinct from the private common areas of the residential community. This separation reinforces a clear delineation between public and private realms, enhancing both usability and community engagement Beyond land use and urban design, the project is aligned with key housing goals outlined in the Housing Element (HE). Goal HE-2 seeks to promote a diverse range of high -quality housing options at different affordability levels to meet the needs of Santa Ana's residents. By offering both market -rate and affordable housing units, the project directly supports this goal by ensuring housing opportunities for households with varying financial means. Similarly, Policy HE-2.5 aims to facilitate the development of a variety of housing types, prices, and sizes, including single-family homes, apartments, townhomes, duplexes, mixed -use developments, transit -oriented housing, multigenerational housing, accessory dwelling units, and live -work opportunities. The project contributes to this policy by providing a thoughtfully designed residential development that includes townhomes with ground -floor office spaces, promoting both housing diversity and economic vitality. Lastly, the proposed project complies with Policy HE-2.7, in accordance with the Affordable Housing Opportunity and Creation Ordinance (AHOCO), which requires that new for -sale residential projects allocate at least five percent of the units to moderate - income households. By providing five units to very -low income households the project meets this requirement and ensures that a portion of its housing stock remains attainable to buyers of varying means, fostering long-term community stability and homeownership accessibility. Affordable Housing Opportunity and Creation Ordinance The project exceeds the affordable housing goal for the ownership category of the City's Affordable Housing Opportunity and Creation Ordinance (AHOCO) by providing five (5) onsite units designated for households earning 30-50 percent of the AMI (very low- income), which is currently set at $78,900 for a four -person, significantly enhancing the opportunity for income eligible Santa Ana households to own a home in the City at a lower cost. The units will be dispersed throughout the community. These affordable units will