You may be considering an A-Town townhome while seeing completed homes, active construction and large parcels that still have approved plans but no completed buildings. The plain answer is that Anaheim staff recommended finding the project out of compliance and starting a process that could modify or terminate its development agreement.
That recommendation does not establish what the City Council ultimately decided. As of November 6, 2026, the September 29 Council vote and the date or outcome of any follow-up public hearing were not verified. This is general information and not legal advice.
What was Anaheim reviewing?
Anaheim was reviewing whether the A-Town developer complied in good faith with the tenth-anniversary milestone in Development Agreement No. 2005-00008.
The item appeared as consent calendar item 3 on the September 29, 2026 City Council agenda. The Planning and Building Department recommended that the Council find the project out of compliance and give notice of its intent to hold a public hearing within 45 days.
That hearing would consider modification or termination of the Amended and Restated Development Agreement. Staff proposed July 31, 2027 as the date the agreement would terminate if the parties had not achieved modifications.
The project began in October 2005, when Anaheim and Lennar Platinum Triangle, LLC executed an agreement covering 41.4 acres west of State College Boulevard between Katella Avenue and Gene Autry Way. The original approval included 2,681 residential units, 150,000 square feet of commercial development and two public parks.
M. asked us whether the A-Town Agreement review meant the development had lost its approvals. He had seen that the city was reviewing the agreement and assumed the entire project was being reconsidered. We explained that reviewing performance under an agreement is different from approving the original project or canceling it.
What does the development agreement do?
The development agreement gives the property owner zoning certainty while requiring benefits for the city in return.
Anaheim’s September 29 staff report describes this type of agreement as a contract between a city and property owner. It generally exempts an approved project from future zoning-law changes while requiring the developer to provide agreed benefits.
In October 2015, the parties entered an Amended and Restated Development Agreement, called the Revised Agreement in the report. It changed the project’s name from A-Town Metro to A-Town and allowed between 1,400 and 1,746 residential units. It also provided for between 38,000 and 50,000 square feet of commercial area and revised parks.
PT Metro, LLC is the current owner and developer. Its September 10, 2026 letter describes the company as Lennar’s entity.
The agreement is separate from an individual home’s deed, purchase contract and HOA documents. Buyers comparing new construction with an existing home can also review builder closeouts versus resale. Fountain Valley has its own guide on a different development agreement.
How do the construction milestones work?
The milestones tie scheduled construction progress to extensions of the development agreement.
Amendment No. 1, approved in May 2018, established checkpoints at the fifth anniversary in 2020, the seventh and one-half anniversary in 2022, the tenth anniversary in 2025 and the fifteenth anniversary in 2030. Completing a milestone grants the next corresponding extension.
For the tenth-anniversary checkpoint, the agreement required 462 additional units by October 2025. The City Council found the developer out of compliance for the 2025 review period on December 16, 2025, with 132 units still outstanding, and Anaheim sent notice on December 23.
A hearing was scheduled for January 27, 2026. After the developer requested more time on January 14, the Council adopted Resolution No. 2026-004 on January 27. That resolution moved the deadline from October 20, 2025 to July 31, 2026.
What has been completed at A-Town?
A-Town has completed streets, infrastructure, two public parks and multiple residential phases, with another phase under construction when the staff report was prepared.
The staff report states that 638 units in Development Areas A, G and H had been completed. The developer’s letter lists Area A as 400 multifamily rental apartments, Area G as 154 for-sale townhomes and Area H as 83 for-sale townhomes. The two sources differ by one unit.
Another 73 units were completed in Area F in April 2026. The developer identifies those units as for-sale townhomes.
Development Area E had 257 units under construction. The staff report said they were expected to be finished within the next year, while the developer’s letter identified them as multifamily rental apartments scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2027.
These phases matter because A-Town is not one uniform construction stage. A buyer should identify the development area containing the specific home rather than relying only on the project name.
What remains unbuilt?
Development Areas B, C and D account for 778 approved but unbuilt units described in the staff report.
Final Site Plans for Area B and for Areas C and D were approved by the Planning Commission in 2022 and early 2023. Area B includes 270 units and 21,669 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Building permits were submitted, but the developer did not complete plan check or begin construction.
The report attributes the stalled process to financing challenges for large-scale mixed-use podium projects.
Together, Areas C and D include 508 units and 17,277 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.
The staff report does not say whether Areas B, C and D will be built or provide a construction timeline. It also does not explain what modification or termination would mean for completed homes, parks, owners’ associations, fees or property prices.
Why did staff recommend noncompliance?
Staff recommended noncompliance because the developer had not filed a formal amendment application or completed the public hearing process before the July 31, 2026 milestone date.
The developer’s September 10 letter said it could not meet the final milestone because of circumstances that included the COVID-19 pandemic and current market conditions. The letter formally requested an amendment to the agreement.
At the time of the staff report, however, the developer had not filed a formal application to amend the Revised Agreement and Master Site Plan. The required public hearing process also had not been completed in advance of the newly established milestone date. Anaheim had sent notice of the September review on August 10, 2026.
Staff acknowledged the developer’s good faith efforts and said amendments could be considered to allow completion of A-Town. Even so, the department recommended a formal finding of noncompliance.
What should a buyer or investor check now?
A buyer or investor should verify the specific home’s documents and follow Anaheim’s agenda portal for the next official action.
Start by confirming whether the property is in Area A, E, F, G or H, or near the unbuilt Areas B, C and D. The development area connects the property to the construction details in the staff report.
Review the recorded documents affecting the property, along with the seller’s disclosures and any information about nearby unbuilt parcels. For a home in an association, use the California HOA disclosure guide to organize the documents available for review.
For the agreement itself, check Anaheim’s City Council agenda list. Look for an agenda report or minutes addressing the September 29 item, a public hearing, or proposed amendments to Development Agreement No. 2005-00008. Do not assume a hearing date was set unless it appears in a later city posting.
The short version
Anaheim staff recommended finding A-Town out of compliance because the developer had not filed a formal amendment application or completed the public hearing process before the July 31, 2026 milestone date.
Completed work includes streets, infrastructure, two public parks and residential phases in Areas A, F, G and H. Area E had 257 rental apartments under construction when the report was prepared. Areas B, C and D contain 778 approved but unbuilt units, and Area B’s permit process stalled before construction began.
Staff recommended a public hearing on modification or termination. It proposed July 31, 2027 as a backstop if agreement modifications were not achieved. The September 29 Council outcome and any later hearing outcome were not verified, so Anaheim’s agenda portal is the place to check for the official next step.
For a separate estimate of a property’s current value, use the home value tool.
Common questions
What is the A-Town development agreement?
It is a contract between Anaheim and the property owner that generally protects the approved project from later zoning changes in exchange for benefits to the city.
How far short was A-Town at the December 2025 finding?
The tenth-anniversary milestone required 462 additional units, and 132 units remained outstanding when the Council made its December 16, 2025 finding.
Did Anaheim terminate the A-Town agreement?
The September 29, 2026 staff report recommended a future hearing on modification or termination, but the Council vote and any follow-up hearing outcome were not verified.
What should an A-Town buyer review?
A buyer should identify the home's development area and review recorded documents, HOA documents, disclosures, and information about adjacent unbuilt parcels.
