The Boardwalk is a walkable, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood that fulfills the City of Huntington Beach’s plan to connect several parts of the community surrounding its developing Bella Terra Town Center. It also supports the City’s regional mobility goals by placing housing near existing office, retail and transportation. The 12-acre site replaces a defunct furniture warehouse and parking lot with 487 market rate and affordable apartments, a public park, and 14,500 sf of commercial space. The project team worked with the City and the newly adopted Beach Edinger Corridors Specific Plan to introduce the New Urbanist style plan to the infill site.
A meandering neighborhood street lined with parallel parking and stoops and porches bisects the site and connects GoldenWest Community College and the Goldenwest Transit Center to the north with Bella Terra to the south. Two iconic amenity buildings line the street, frame the park and community courtyard, and demarcate the community’s main entry and retail plaza off Edinger Ave. California coastal contemporary architecture provides a casual elegance to the project, reflecting the community’s laid back, and vibrant outdoor lifestyle.
The Boardwalk utilizes a building type designed to maximize site efficiency, lower construction cost, and separate on-grade parking garages and courts from pedestrian-oriented streets. The four-story slab-on-grade buildings are framed entirely in wood, which also significantly