Huntington Beach council delays TEFRA approval for Pelican Harbor senior housing to seek stronger taxpayer protections

Huntington Beach — The City Council voted 4–3 on Oct. 21 to continue a TEFRA public hearing for Pelican Harbor Apartments, a 43-unit permanent supportive housing development for formerly homeless seniors, after extensive questioning about financing, subsidies and the city’s subordinate loans.

Charles Kovac, the city’s housing manager, told the council the project at 18431 Beach Boulevard was completed in December 2024 and serves extremely low- and very-low-income, formerly homeless seniors. “Pelican Harbor is a 43-unit permanent supportive housing development that was completed in December 2024 and occupied as early as January 2025,” Kovac said in his presentation.

Kovac said the city provided roughly $2.8–$3.0 million in loans made up primarily of federal HOME funds with about $200,000 from the city’s inclusionary housing in-lieu fund. The development was financed originally with tax-exempt bonds issued by the California Municipal Finance Authority (CMFA), 4% low-income housing tax credits, and state and county grants, and…