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Tustin staff report 54 new housing permits in 2025; larger projects to boost future counts
Summary
City staff told the Planning Commission the 2025 General Plan annual progress report shows 54 new housing permits issued in 2025 (mostly ADUs), cited recent rezoning and policy changes to increase capacity, and said large projects at Tustin Legacy and Red Hill will raise permit counts next year.
City planning staff on March 10 presented the 2025 General Plan annual progress report, telling the Planning Commission that Tustin issued 54 new housing permits in 2025 and that several large projects will substantially increase permit counts next year.
George Maldonado, the staff presenter, told commissioners that RHNA progress is counted when building permits are issued and that “you can see we issued 54 new housing permits” in 2025, with the majority consisting of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and the Stafford Glen project.
The presentation identified major housing efforts underway: Maldonado said the Irvine Company’s Tustin Legacy project will ultimately include more than 1,300 units and the Compass at Red Hill will have more than 70 units, and he said building permits for those projects either were issued this year or are expected in coming months. “We do expect, next year's report to show a significant increase,” Maldonado said.
Maldonado also summarized policy and zoning changes from the past year meant to remove barriers to housing production: rezoning at Tustin Marketplace, the Andrew Lee Center and Tustin Legacy; reduced multifamily parking requirements; elimination of certain private storage requirements; and adoption of citywide objective residential design standards to be refined at a district level.
Commissioners asked for updates on several specific projects during the question-and-answer period. Commissioner Jared asked about the Tustin Heritage project with Families Forward; Maldonado said the project is in building plan check and permits had not yet been issued, and a staff member added that Families Forward changed builders, which delayed the timeline but that the project is moving forward.
Commissioners also pressed staff about vacant Old Town lots, interim parking options, the status of a skilled nursing facility, and how Tustin’s RHNA progress compares with other jurisdictions. Staff said they are engaging property owners in Old Town, that one building of a two-building skilled nursing project is completed while the other is under state review, and that Tustin has not performed a direct city-to-city comparison but is doing “okay” anecdotally compared with other cities.
The commission received and filed the report; no formal motion was required for this receive-and-file item. The staff presentation identified the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LUCI) as recipients of required reports under California Government Code section 65400.
The commission did not take further action on the report; staff said they will return with follow-up items requested by commissioners, including a presentation of a Southwest Tustin residential parking study within the next month.
