Company:: AMCAL MULTI-HOUSING, INC.
Status:: Awarded
Awarded:: Urban or Land Development Project of the Year
Additional Files: Aerial
Aerial
Irvine World News
OC Register
Info Sheet
Project of the Year Award news release
Additional Information

ALEGRE AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS

Project Location:

3100 Visions, Irvine, CA 92618

Project Description:

Alegre is an award-winning affordable LEED Gold-certified apartment complex on 3.5 acres in Irvine. This exceptional project features 104 one- to four-bedroom units and was formed through an unprecedented partnership between AMCAL, Irvine Community Land Trust/City of Irvine and the Las Palmas Foundation (non-profit). Funding for this project was provided by Bank of America, Irvine Community Land Trust, California Community Re-investment Corporation and Cal HFA. Alegre is Irvine’s first permanent affordable housing complex.

Each of the buildings is three stories high and designed by MVE & Partners in an efficient tuck-under floor plan, in the established Cypress Village architectural style. Cypress Village is a master plan community with a mix of residential offerings. The apartment common areas include a lap pool, splash pad, barbeques, playground and a large two-story community recreation center with offices, computer lab, kitchen, media room, game room and fitness center. Additionally, Alegre design integrates direct pedestrian access to an adjacent community park and the Jeffrey Open Space Trail. AMCAL partnered with LifeSTEPS, Families Forward, Orange County Health Care Agency and United Cerebral Palsy to provide complimentary social services for residents.

Fuscoe Engineering provided comprehensive services for this outstanding development, including engineering, survey and mapping, construction staking and stormwater management. The project required an OCFA Alternate Means & Methods Request to accommodate deficiencies in fire access presented by the site plan.

Project Justification:

AMCAL is the first developer to create a joint venture with the City of Irvine and Irvine Community Land Trust based on a unique ground lease model providing affordability in perpetuity – the first of this kind in Orange County. In 2013, AMCAL was awarded an allocation of $23.9 million in nine percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. The Irvine Community Land Trust and the City of Irvine provided financial support valued at $9 million and Cal HFA offered $1.3 million in MSHA funds for special needs residents. Alegre is 100 percent affordable to low, very low and extremely low income households. AMCAL partnered with LifeSTEPS, Families Forward, Orange County Health Care Agency and United Cerebral Palsy to provide complimentary social services for residents.

The Alegre project met all Irvine Company standards. Also, due to special partnerships and funding, specific requirements and milestones had to be met within designated timelines. Alegre residents enjoy upscale amenities typically found only in market-rate apartments, such as a lap pool, splash pad, barbeques, playground and a large two-story community recreation center with offices, computer lab, kitchen, media room, game room and fitness center. Alegre design integrates direct pedestrian access to an adjacent community park and the Jeffrey Open Space Trail.

Special Circumstances:

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIPS: Designed by architect MVE & Partners, this project would not have been possible without the collaborative contributions of the City of Irvine, Irvine Community Land Trust, AMCAL, other lenders/stakeholders and the design team.

OBSTACLES OVERCOME: The project required an OCFA Alternate Means & Methods Request to accommodate deficiencies in fire access presented by the site plan. The Alegre project met all Irvine Company standards. Also, due to special partnerships and funding, specific requirements and milestones had to be met within designated timelines.

ACCOLADES: Alegre received the 2015 Development of the Year Award from the Kennedy Commission of Orange County.

Project Attachments:

Please see attachments for additional information at bottom of this form

Award Citation::

Alegre is an award-winning affordable LEED Gold certified apartment complex on 3.5 acres in Irvine. This exceptional project, designed by MVE & Partners, features 104 one- to four-bedroom units and was formed through an unprecedented partnership between AMCAL, Irvine Community Land Trust/City of Irvine and the Las Palmas Foundation (non-profit). Additionally, a consortium of agencies and non-profits joined together to provide Alegre residents with complimentary social services.

Suggested Award Summary: