HUNTINGTON BEACH CIVIC CENTER (Orange County Tribune photo).

Orange County Tribune

A divided Huntington Beach City Council voted 4-3 on Tuesday afternoon in favor of approving the issuance of tax-exempt bonds to help finance the Pelican Harbor Apartments, which house 43 low-income senior citizens, many of which are disabled.

Tuesday’s meeting continued a public hearing on the project located on Beach Boulevard at Main Street. It has been built and is fully occupied.

Jamboree Housing Corporation is the lead agency for the project, working with Huntington Beach Housing Partners.
At issue is whether to put the city’s approval on the $20 million tax-exempt bonds. While the action doesn’t add to the city’s tax bill, objections were raised by some councilmembers about a possible breach in their campaign vows about being opposed to encouraging tax-supported, tax-exempt housing developments.

Those in favor cited the benefits of housing the seniors – some of which previously had been homeless, and most of which had “connections” to Huntington Beach.

Public comments – there were 20 – and discussions and questions from councilmembers extended the meeting nearly 90 minutes.