Aliso Viejo Senior Community Opens, Affordable Housing Option

ALISO VIEJO, CA — Liberty at Aliso, a greatly needed and much-in-demand affordable senior apartment community in Aliso Viejo, has opened in southern Orange County.

The 200-apartment community offers affordable housing for seniors – at about half the rent of nearby market-rate units – and a long list of amenities hard to find at any price, including a clubroom with a business center, pool, fitness center, and courtyards with seating areas and barbecues.

Liberty at Aliso, located at 100 Freedom Lane near Aliso Viejo Parkway, is close to health care providers, shopping centers, restaurants, recreational areas and State Route 73, providing easy access to Interstate 5. Liberty at Aliso is also across the street from Vintage at Aliso, another USA Properties affordable senior community that opened in 2017.

The combination of affordable housing for low-income residents, amenities and location have generated much interest in Liberty at Aliso during the past year.

“The demand for affordable housing in the community, and throughout much of Southern California and the state, is hard to imagine and easily outpaces the supply,” said Geoff Brown, President of USA Properties. “We’re glad that we could build two apartment communities in Aliso Viejo that help address some of the need and provide seniors with high-quality housing.”

Aliso Viejo City Councilman Bill Phillips, Tom Willard, President and Founder of Foundation for Affordable Housing Inc., and Brown were the featured speakers during the grand opening event for Liberty at Aliso on Wednesday, Sept. 4.

“We are proud of adding this new community … and appreciate the diversity and beauty that both Liberty at Aliso and its sister property, Vintage Aliso, bring to our city,” Mayor Chun said. “Affordable communities like these bring greater opportunities for choice and quality of life for seniors, and Liberty at Aliso is a shining example that we will cherish for many years to come.”

USA Properties and the city worked closely on Liberty at Aliso, one of the most affordable apartment communities in the region. USA Properties partnered with Foundation for Affordable Housing, a Laguna Beach-based nonprofit organization, Citi Community Capital and Boston Financial Investment Management on the $64.6 million project.

“It takes so many people working together to develop a community like Liberty at Aliso,” Brown said. “It also requires a lot of hard work and much patience, but the end result is definitely worth the effort and time.”

The four-level apartment community offers affordable housing for residents 55 years or older with household incomes between 50% and 60% of the area median income for Orange County. Income limits range from $41,550 to $76,920, depending on the floor plan and how many people live in the unit.

Liberty at Aliso offers 88 one-bedroom apartments and 112 two-bedroom apartments. Rents start at $990 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,175 for a two-bedroom unit. The rent is about half the cost for market-rate units in Aliso Viejo, according to industry tracker RENTCafe.

The combination of affordable rent for low-income residents has generated significant interest in Liberty at Aliso, said Tippy Lambert, Vice President of USA Multifamily Management Inc.

“Liberty Aliso has been 100 percent leased with an additional interest list for some time, which speaks to the need for affordable housing in the region,” Lambert said. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the positive feedback we have received from residents, especially on the look and feel of the community.”

Just ask Joan and Harold Leveen. The couple, who are in their 70s, moved into Liberty at Aliso on July 30, a few weeks after a fire destroyed their condo in Huntington Beach.

“We love it. It’s gorgeous out here,” Joan Leveen said. “Everyone is so friendly. The neighbors, the staff are wonderful. It’s a new beginning, a new place to call home.”

Liberty at Aliso may be affordable, but it’s far from basic. In addition to the community amenities – such as the clubroom, pool and fitness center – apartments have a long list of features.

Apartments include a balcony or patio; ceiling fans; energy-efficient appliances and light fixtures; kitchen pantries; low-flow faucets, shower heads and toilets; walk-in closets; washer and dryer hookups, and roll-in showers in some units.

Liberty at Aliso is a pet-friendly community. And the apartment community includes access to on-site social services for residents.

The apartment community also boasts an energy-efficient design and features, from air quality and water conservation to a solar-panel system that will provide electricity for the common areas, such as the clubroom and fitness center. Vintage at Aliso, the affordable community across the street that opened in 2017, earned the second-highest “Build It Green” score for new multifamily projects in California.

“We are committed to building high-quality communities that feel like home by meeting the needs of residents,” USA Properties’ Brown said. “But the residents are the ones who give it life and make it a community.”