If you’re looking at a townhome at 12200 Beach Boulevard, the pending fee request concerns an existing condition of the project’s approval. The Developer wants to pay the City $990,832.85 instead of deed-restricting seven units as low income affordable housing. If adopted, the change would make those seven units market rate units.
This is general information and not legal advice.
Status as of October 29, 2026: the Planning Commission hears the item on November 4, 2026. Staff recommends that the Commission recommend the City Council deny the amendments. No City Council date or decision has been posted.
What is the Developer asking Stanton to change?
The Developer is asking Stanton to replace the requirement for seven low income affordable units with an affordable housing in-lieu fee.
The request concerns a 79-unit townhome development on 3.54 acres at 12200 Beach Boulevard, identified as APN 131-422-20. The property is owned by Bonanni Development Company III, LLC, identified in the documents as the Developer.
On April 9, 2026, the Developer requested amendments to the development agreement and project entitlements. Under the proposal, the seven units would become market rate units, and the City would use the fee to fund future affordable housing projects.
It seeks to change how the project’s affordable housing obligation is met. The original approval included seven affordable units at the site; the proposed payment would instead support future affordable housing through the City. Neither the payment nor the change to those units has a posted Council approval.
I spoke with someone following the Beach Boulevard townhome project who believed the developer’s affordable housing payment had already been approved. What he had seen was a request involving an in-lieu fee, not necessarily the city’s final decision. We reviewed the pending request because the number of affordable homes provided on-site could depend on how the city handled it.
What did the original approval require?
The original approval was for 79 townhomes, including seven low income affordable units.
The Planning Commission heard the project on December 15, 2021, and recommended approval. The City Council approved the entitlements on January 11, 2022, and introduced Ordinance No. 1118. On January 25, 2022, the City entered Development Agreement No. 20-04 and adopted that ordinance.
The agreement carries Instrument No. 2022000137375. The Council later approved Final Tract Map No. 19119 on April 26, 2022.
Those documents give you concrete references when asking about the property’s approval history. A question about the seven-unit condition should identify Development Agreement No. 20-04 and the proposed First Amendment, rather than refer only to a general affordable housing policy.
The city’s documents describe the units as low income affordable units. They do not specify an income threshold or how long a deed restriction would last. Those details should not be filled in from assumptions about other projects.
Why does staff now recommend denial?
Staff now recommends denial following the Planning Commission’s October 21 continuance and direction to prepare a denial resolution.
The October 21 staff report had recommended that the Commission recommend Council approval. At that meeting, however, the Commission continued the item to November 4 and directed staff to prepare a resolution of denial incorporating its findings and concerns.
The November 4 report records the Commission’s concern about removing affordability conditions from the original project approval. It identifies conflicts with findings concerning written agreement to comply with permit conditions and compliance with the development agreement statute.
The recommended actions are:
- Resolution No. 2592, recommending denial of amendments to Site Plan and Design Review SPDR-811, Conditional Use Permit CUP 20-04 and Planned Development Permit PDP 20-07.
- Resolution No. 2593, recommending denial of the First Amendment to Development Agreement DA 20-04.
These are recommended actions for the November 4 hearing. The October 21 action was a continuance with direction to prepare denial documents, not a vote to deny the amendments. The Commission’s recommendation goes to the City Council.
How would the proposed fee and payment timing work?
The proposed fee is $990,832.85, with payment tied in the draft amendment to certificates of occupancy for the final seven units.
The staff report describes the fee as calculated using 110,215 square feet of development intended for affordable housing at $8.99 per square foot. A consultant surveyed in-lieu fees, and the October 21 report described that rate as reasonable and within the range charged by similar local cities.
Under the draft, the City shall issue certificates of occupancy for the first 72 units before payment if the Owner requests them. The City shall not issue certificates of occupancy for the final seven units until the affordable housing in-lieu fee is paid.
What does the construction and sales count tell you?
The count tells you that all 79 units have been constructed and 72 have been sold; it does not identify which units carry affordability conditions.
Keep that limit in mind when comparing the sales count with the draft’s certificate language. Both use the numbers 72 and seven, but the report does not say that the seven affordable units are the seven unsold units. It also does not identify the affordable units by location within the project.
For a specific purchase, ask for the documents that establish the unit’s status. Ask separately about its certificate of occupancy and any applicable affordability condition. A project total cannot answer either question for a particular townhome.
Other purchase documents deserve separate review. The California HOA disclosure guide and supplemental property tax bill article provide related reading as you organize that review. For additional reading while reviewing a new-construction purchase, see the Menifee new-construction home article.
Does Stanton require this fee through a citywide program?
The October 21 staff report says Stanton does not have an inclusionary housing program requiring developers to provide affordable housing or affordable housing in-lieu fees as part of a development project.
That statement does not erase the seven-unit condition in this project’s approval. The current request specifically seeks amendments to the agreement and entitlements that contain the project’s obligations.
The same report says the Developer received no density bonus, waiver or concession for providing affordable housing at the site. It also says the property was not in the Housing Element sites inventory.
Where would the money go, and what happens next?
The proposed fee would fund future affordable housing projects, while the next scheduled action is the November 4 Planning Commission hearing.
The staff report identifies possible uses: a potential affordable housing project in the Tina Pacific neighborhood, preservation of existing affordable housing, or other needs. The eventual use is uncertain; the report describes possibilities rather than a commitment to a particular project.
The Commission meets November 4, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at Stanton City Hall, 7800 Katella Avenue. The City’s Planning Commission agenda page provides the packet containing Item 6A, the staff reports and draft resolutions. The agenda lists the Community Development Department at (714) 890-4293 for accessibility requests.
The Orange County Tribune’s October 15 coverage concerns the October 21 hearing notice. It does not report a decision.
The short version
The fee remains a proposal, and staff now recommends that the Planning Commission recommend Council denial.
If you’re evaluating a unit, distinguish the original seven-unit affordability requirement, the requested amendment and the documents governing that particular townhome. Construction and sales totals do not settle its status. No Council date or decision has been posted.
For a separate estimate of a property’s value, use the home value tool.
Common questions
Has Stanton approved the affordable housing in-lieu fee?
Not yet. No City Council date or decision has been posted as of October 29, 2026. The Planning Commission continued the item to November 4, when staff recommends that the Commission recommend denial to the Council.
What would the proposed fee replace?
The Developer requests a $990,832.85 fee instead of deed restrictions on seven low income affordable units. If adopted, the seven units would become market rate units.
Are the seven affordable units the seven unsold units?
The staff report does not identify which units are affordable. It reports that all 79 units have been constructed and 72 have been sold.
When would the proposed fee be due?
Under the draft amendment, the City would not issue certificates of occupancy for the final seven units until the fee is paid. The draft allows certificates for the first 72 units before payment if the Owner requests them.
