A PROGRAM to prepare residents for the expansion of bike paths in the city was approved by the Garden Grove City Council on Tuesday (Flickr/Nuno Ribeiro).

Approval was given Tuesday night by the Garden Grove City Council for the construction of a 31-unit townhome project at 9861 11th St.

The council voted 7-0 in favor of the proposed planned unit development located west of Brookhurst Street on a 1.8-acre lot. The land is currently occupied by a 59-bed facility for the developmentally delayed which is planned for closure in May.

Melia Homes will be building the complex in two- and three-story versions.

Also on Tuesday night, the council approved the appropriation of $73,880 in state grant money to prepare residents for the coming expansion of bike paths in the city.

The city won a $1.8 million grant to expand the bicycle and pedestrian trail along the former Pacific Electric right-of-way from Stanford Avenue to Brookhurst Street.

To encourage youth and others to safely use the new path, which will link the downtown area of the city to the Brookhurst-Chapman shopping district, the “BikeSafe Garden Grove” program would work toward creating 10 events each year – 30 over three years –toward that end.

The next meeting of the council is set for Tuesday, March 26 at 5:30 p.m.