The High Cost of Rent in Mission Viejo

It's a beautiful place to live all year long. But living in paradise comes with a cost.

For teachers, fire fighters, trash haulers and various other workers, Mission Viejo can be completely unaffordable. The state requires some provisions for that inequality, but the issue is always evolving.

Here are some stories Patch covered in 2012 involving the high cost of housing in Mission Viejo.

320 New Apartments for Northeast Mission Viejo

A deal six years in the making, Mission Viejo made way for 320 new apartments on Los Alisos Boulevard where a former K-Mart has sat vacant for years.

The deal reached between apartment developer UDR and the city involved a compromise on affordable housing.

Under the new deal 24 affordable housing units will be provided—half the original number. And now instead of keeping them affordable for 55 years, UDR has promised the city to keep them affordable for only 10 years.

Bid to Remove Affordable Housing Apartments Rejected

They can build the apartments, but only if they accept low rent in some units after the city rejected a developer's request Monday night to remove 48 affordable housing units from their apartment complex plans at 28601 Los Alisos.

A whole section of local government disappeared in February, and that could drive up the price for rental housing, according to one developer.

The South Orange County Economic Coalition met in July to discuss the elimination of redevelopment agencies and how it affects businesses and consumers.