ARTIST’S CONCEPTION of proposed townhome condos for Westminster Mall site.

By Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune

On a 4-0 vote – with Councilmember Amy Phan West absent – the Westminster City Council on Wednesday night approved several steps to help advance the development of 89 for-sale townhome condominiums on the grounds of the Westminster Mall shopping center.

The proposed project would be constructed on a 3.62-acre site at the southeast corner of Edwards Street and Royal Oak Drive/Westminster Mall Drive on a location formerly occupied by retail businesses including Babies R Us.

“We believe this is the perfect use of this portion of the specific plan” for the larger outlook for the Mall property, said Gordon Jones, speaking for the developer.
“I think you’ve done a very good job of meeting all the conditions,” said Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen.

The units would average about 1,533-square feet and feature a mix of two-bedroom and three-bedroom layouts. Nine of the units would be reserved as affordable housing for low-income households earning no more than 80 percent of the area median income.

That would translate to $88,400 for a one-person household up to $126,250 for a four-person household. The use of low-income housing qualifies the developer for density bonus incentives.

According to the staff report, the development would include a private neighborhood park with amenities such as seating, shade structures, barbecues, bicycle parking, a central landscaped pedestrian paseo and a small public plaza at Edwards Street and Royal Oak Drive with seating, as well as two public art installations at entrances.

The project would be among the first to bring to life the Westminster Mall Specific Plan, which calls for converting the enclosed shopping center and surrounding land into a mixed-use project including residential, retail and entertainment uses.