Monarch Welcomes First Residents Ahead of Grand Opening Celebration
A New Era for Affordable Housing Begins in Palm Springs
The Monarch Apartment Homes are now open. New residents are stepping over the threshold of their doorways for the very first time, beginning a new chapter for themselves, as well as The City of Palm Springs. Located at the corner of North Indian Canyon and East San Rafael Drive, this affordable housing community is a beautiful blend of mid-century modern design and the fulfillment of dreams for 60 families.
A little over 2 years after Monarch’s groundbreaking, its 60 apartment homes will be fully occupied. With Monarch’s official ribbon-cutting ceremony on February 22nd, CHOC, The City of Palm Springs, and our many partners are ready to celebrate a new era for affordable housing in Coachella Valley.
“I love connecting with residents,” says Laura Ontiveros, Vice President of Property Operations for Sterling Asset Management Company, a CHOC subsidiary. She continued: “I love being a part of the qualification process for a new home, seeing that joy once they’ve secured a spot, and (new resident) excitement around being a part of this community.” As CHOC’s property management subsidiary, Sterling brings a 30-year track record of managing and maintaining multifamily affordable housing communities across California.
Laura Ontiveros, Vice President of Property Operations for Sterling Asset Management Company. Photographed at The Monarch Apartment Homes on January 24, 2023. Credit: Jennifer Pellerito/Velvet Leaf Creative
Ontiveros joined Sterling in 2023, with over 25 years of property management experience across California. She most recently held the position of Director of Operations at Quality Management in Ontario, CA, where she was responsible for the operation of over 30 multifamily properties and more than 90 employees.
“Sterling has a decades-long track record, but I came onboard because of its startup-like operation and experienced leadership (by SAMC President Kevin Grani),” says Ontiveros. “Sterling is also an extension of CHOC’s mission for working families, which I love. Sterling and CHOC provide great training and are making improvements to properties across our portfolio. CHOC is also building affordable housing for qualified residents in places where people want to live,” says Ontiveros.
In December, Monarch received its first occupancy permits, and keys were given to initial residents shortly thereafter. The Palm Springs Post recently reported on Monarch:
“While much more housing of its type is needed both in the city and throughout the state, the development symbolizes what’s possible, according to affordable housing advocates and CHOC leadership.”
- The Palm Springs Post
Juxtaposed with Monarch’s single-slope, “butterfly” roofs are views of the snow-capped San Jacinto Mountains - an inspiring backdrop for this pivotal development - and moment - in the continuing push for sustainable, affordable housing communities in Coachella Valley.
As a new neighborhood, The Monarch Apartment Homes draws the eye. It’s visual proof that affordable housing can and should integrate seamlessly into an established and architecturally significant mid-century modern neighborhood; Monarch effectively shatters preconceived notions of what affordable housing “should” or “must” look like.
All original Monarch Apartment Homes photography by Noé Montes (January 24, 2024).
Maria Song, AIA LEED & AP at Interactive Design Corporation (IDC), envisioned the design featuring butterfly wing roofs. “The Monarch Apartment Homes” soon took flight, paying direct homage to California’s most famous butterfly species. Now, as Monarch welcomes its first residents, Maria Song’s designs have been manifested into reality, and will soon serve the needs of working families, enabling them to live closer to their workplaces and their children’s schools, empowering all family members with a greater sense of self-determination.
Ontiveros agrees. “The anticipation [that residents have], to see their actual, physical home… it’s so exciting. I keep in regular touch with new residents, to let them know when they have a green light to move in; I facilitate move-in times and dates so that everyone has a seamless as possible move-in process,” says Ontiveros. “Yes, of course there are hiccups sometimes, and moving is by definition stressful, but we strive to make [residents’] first experience with their new home exciting, which begins with move-in being as stress-free as possible.”
As the first multifamily affordable housing in Palm Springs in almost 14 years, The Monarch Apartment Homes opens its doors just in time for Modernism Week 2024. Globally recognized for its spotlight on Palm Springs’ famed mid-century modern architecture and design, this landmark event created unprecedented focus on Maria Song’s Monarch designs in February 2021. This spotlight was a clear indication of how quickly Monarch began to redefine perceptions of affordable housing, as well as how its compelling design could be a seamless addition and value-add for an architecture capital like Palm Springs.
In addition to Monarch’s one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, the property also features unique amenities, like a community room equipped with computer lab facilities, a cashless laundry facility, a reflection garden, a mini dog park, and an innovative children’s play zone and splash pad, all of which complement beautifully-finished apartment homes purpose-built for improved quality of life and positive resident experience. “The splash pad is something that's definitely unique,” says Ontiveros. “Not many [apartment] communities have that kind of an amenity… so wonderful.”
Monarch’s Grand Opening Celebration will not only be a milestone for the families who will call it home, but also for the City of Palm Springs, CHOC, and partners who have contributed their respective energies and expertise to making Palm Springs’ newest community a beautiful reality.
Ontiveros, who comes from a market-rate property management background, underscores the impact Monarch will have on Palm Springs and Coachella Valley, respectively. “There isn’t a difference [in quality] just because it’s an affordable housing development,” she says. “Multifamily affordable housing is about how it is financed, thereby making it affordable. But, the quality is the same, if not sometimes better than market rate developments, given the high level of regulation and necessary compliance.” She adds: “Ultimately, every family and individual has a right to quality housing.”
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Founded in 1984, Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC) is a non-profit affordable housing developer, energy, services and property management provider headquartered in Fairfield, CA; we create and manage equitable communities for individuals, families, seniors, and those with special needs. CHOC believes that economically integrated affordable housing is key to self-sufficiency and achievable with enriching, supportive programs that instill pride in residents, stabilize families, and improve local economies. Visit CHOCHousing.org.