COSTA MESA : Construction Date Set for Senior Center

Construction on a $2.5-million senior citizens center will start Sept. 3, but plans for new senior housing next door still are sketchy, officials said.

The 20,000-square-foot center, which will be located at the corner of 19th Street and Pomona Avenue, is expected to serve 150 to 175 seniors per day. It will offer services ranging from legal and housing assistance to consumer advocacy, said Susan Schollenberger, executive director of the Costa Mesa Senior Citizen Corp., which will operate the center.

The city is expected to include $2.5 million for the center’s construction in its budget for next year, Councilwoman Mary Hornbuckle said. The councilwoman has spearheaded a five-year drive to have the center built.

By the year 2000, as many as 20,000 people 60 and over will live in Costa Mesa, Hornbuckle added.

The city has no immediate plans to provide funds for senior housing, but officials have received about two dozen phone calls from developers interested in building it, said Don Lamm, assistant city manager for developmental services.

The city expects to begin the process of selecting a developer for the project soon, he said.

The architects who designed the center said they alloted space for 48 one-bedroom houses next door, each between 700 and 800 square feet.

Lamm said the architect’s plan would be a good “starting point” for the size and number of the homes, stressing that figures could change.

No criteria have yet been set as to who would be eligible to live in the housing, Lamm said. The Costa Mesa Senior Citizen Corp. also announced that it has hired a development director, Ida Aube, whose job it will be to raise $350,000 annually, the center’s expected operating budget.

The Senior Citizen Corp. itself receives $100,000 annually from the city.