FAQs

Starting in 1968 (by Governor Ronald Reagan), every 8 years, California municipalities have to create new opportunities for housing. During the 2021-2029 cycle, the City of Torrance is required to create opportunities for 4,939 housing units, a mixture of market rate and affordable.

These requirements are occurring at a time when the need for traditional office use is diminishing. This long-term trend was fast-tracked as a result of COVID. Older office properties like 2325 Crenshaw Boulevard, adjacent to both residential and commercial use, are ideal land planning solutions, which also conform with 2021-2029 state housing requirements.

Torrance Del Amo is designed to maximize open space, and pedestrian activity, while being sensitive to the surrounding single-family neighborhood.

Parking drives the ultimate design of today’s multifamily communities. Most (including all the recent approvals in Torrance) include cheaper, above-ground parking. This type of design is both bulky and creates less ground floor area for open space and pedestrians. Alternatively, the parking garage at Torrance Del Amo is buried in the ground, creating many more opportunities for superior design. This condition is much more expensive than above-ground parking.

Torrance Del Amo is terraced down toward the single-family homes, showing great sensitivity to the surrounding neighborhoods. This condition is also made possible by the underground garage.

The market would not build this type of product, due to cost considerations. Rose Equities, the project owner, is able to make this design decision due to its long-term, generational, ownership profile.

Torrance Del Amo will be built where an under-utilized business park has operated for decades. The addition of a vibrant and attractive community will make the community more vital and visually pleasing, which will spur economic development and enhance property values over time.

Studies show, the significant economic concentration of high-quality communities like Torrance Del Amo enhance single-family home values in the area. These renters are the most likely candidates to move into single-family homes, significantly increasing area demand and prices.

When fully occupied, the existing office buildings creates approximately 1,400 daily traffic trips, from employees and have frequent guests and customers. The 272 units at Torrance Del Amo will create a little over 1,000 daily trips.

As is standard with all new construction in the City of Torrance, the owner/builders of Torrance Del Amo will work with the city to ensure construction impacts will be limited. The project will work with the adjacent neighborhoods and property owners to develop an agreed-upon construction management plan to limit potential construction impacts.

Torrance Del Amo will upgrade all necessary infrastructure, as required by the environmental impact report, before occupancy. The proposed community has received letters from all utilities (including electricity, gas, and water) required to serve the project.

Torrance Del Amo will be built on previously developed land and will therefore have no impact on existing wildlife habitat.

Torrance Del Amo is "future-proofed" and designed with minimal environmental impact. The community will be all-electric. Sustainability features include water efficiency, electric vehicle chargers, microgrids, and a net zero carbon pathway, so renewable power will offset fossil fuel use. Landscaping will be drought tolerant, and the development will include stormwater collection features, including rain gardens. Hardscaping will allow for stormwater runoff with pervious paving materials.

Fire and life saftey are of paramount importance to the builders of Torrance Del Amo.

The building construction is of a high standard with metal roofs, upgraded fire-resistive construction, 360-degree access for large structures and full-size medical elevator cars in all locations. These homes and the amenities that serve them will be protected with automatic fire sprinklers throughout. The landscaping and access points are positioned so that the fire department will have access to all of the important areas during an emergency should one arise.

Safety systems will be monitored 24/7 by a central station with direct reporting to the fire department in the event of a problem. Life safety systems will be inspected and maintained by professionals through the project management. Safety systems will be certified by a third party every five years with reports to the fire department on compliance.

Torrance Del Amo will provide ample parking above state standards with more than 465 designated parking spots for residents and quests. Structured parking will be hidden from view and underground. Parking demand for the residents is maximized at 399 parking spaces.

This is housing restricted to households with an annual gross income less than 50% of the median household income in the county. For an individual in Orange County to qualify as low-income in 2023, an individual would have a gross income of $44,150 or less. For a four-person household, they would have an income of $63,050 or less. These income levels include many of the workers in the businesses in our community, including restaurant and retail workers, domestic workers, some school employees and even newspaper staff. The monthly rates for these below-market rate units are determined by a formula in state housing law. These are not other rental assistance homes like Section 8.

Torrance Del Amo will have 28 Very-Low income units. Very-low-income units will feature the same amenities as market-rate units in accordance with city requirements.

California awards developers who build below-market-rate units with a "density bonus," which means they are allowed to build more units than allowed by local zoning as well as exceed height restrictions, to an extent. In the case of Torrance Del Amo, the base density is 33 units per acre. Due to the inclusion of 28 Very-Low-income units, Torrance Del Amo is allowed to include up to 49.5 units per acre or 272 total units.

Known as the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, SB 330 locks in local planning and zoning rules or development standards at the time the preliminary application is submitted. Cities cannot “move the goal posts:” SB 330 streamlines the approval process by limiting public meetings on a project to five meetings and shortens the timeline cities have to approve a process to 90 days. (It was previously 120 days.) Projects still need to comply with local zoning and code standards, but the inclusion of below-market rate units may allow developers exceptions to height and density restrictions.

SB 330 also prohibits cities from placing a moratorium on new developments or enforcing subjective design standards on housing developments where housing is an allowable use. Cities impacted by SB 330 are also prohibited from limiting annual land use approvals, placing a cap on how many housing units can be constructed or trying to place limits on population size.

Torrance Del Amo will be compliant with all state laws, including SB 330.

Rose Equities is a fully integrated development, management and investment group founded in 1949 by Rose and David Glickman and continues to be managed by their sons and grandchildren. With a unique generational investment strategy, Rose Equities seeks to combine the industry's best practices with the culture and reputation of a traditional family office.