Where new homes are being built in Garden Grove
Garden Grove has almost no vacant land, so new for-sale homes come from replacing something else: a church parking lot, a closed school site, an older house on a deep lot. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts 50,960 homes in the city, and only 427 of them, about 0.8%, were built in 2020 or later. Another 1,295 (2.5%) date from 2010 to 2019. About 61% were built before 1970 (ACS 2020-2024).
The pressure to add homes is large. Garden Grove's share of the state's housing target for 2021 to 2029 is 19,168 homes, and the city's Housing Element was certified by the state Department of Housing and Community Development on December 12, 2023. The city then updated its Land Use Element and zoning map to allow higher densities on the sites it identified. Zoning capacity is not a construction schedule: most of the projects on the city's own list are rental apartments, not homes for sale.
The Planning Division publishes a Development Projects Update List. The edition covering April 2024 to March 2026 shows the pattern clearly. For-sale projects are a handful of townhome condominiums, a few duplexes and single houses on split lots, while larger buildings, such as a seven-story, 98-unit complex at 9891 to 9901 Garden Grove Boulevard and a six-story, 53-unit building on Choisser Road, are apartments.
New home communities in Garden Grove
We checked builder websites and the city's project list on November 1, 2026. Prices and releases change often, so confirm with each sales office before you visit.
Ashton Grove by Ashton 3 (35 townhomes, Buaro Street, 92840)
Ashton Grove is a community of 35 three-story townhomes at 12701 Buaro Street, with the sales office at 12712 Trojan Way, open Thursday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Three plans are offered: Plan 1 at 972 square feet with one bedroom and 1.5 baths and a one-car garage, Plan 2 at 1,231 square feet with two bedrooms and 2.5 baths, and Plan 3 at 1,562 square feet with three bedrooms and three baths. Plans 2 and 3 have two-car garages. The community's site advertised three-bedroom homes at $839,990, and a NewHomeSource listing showed the range starting at $589,990. Ashton 3 is a family-owned builder; Ashton Grove is its current project.
The city's list shows this as Site Plan SP-138-2024: 35 three-story, for-sale condominium units on about 1.4 acres, including two homes reserved for very-low-income households under the State Density Bonus Law, with a tract map to sell each unit as a condominium. It was listed as under construction as of March 2026. Ask the sales team for the HOA budget and dues, which were not posted on the site.
The Gables by Brandywine Homes (26 townhomes, West Garden Grove, 92845)
The Gables is a collection of 26 two-story townhomes in West Garden Grove, with a sales address of 5817 Santa Barbara Avenue, shown by appointment. Brandywine lists plans from about 1,216 to 1,744 square feet with two to four bedrooms, 2.5 to 3 baths and attached two-car garages; Plan 1 is about 1,216 square feet with two bedrooms. The builder's banner says "Final Opportunity," and its October 30, 2026 news post said only two homes were left; prices were not posted on the builder's site. Two townhomes are set aside for buyers who income-qualify under the city's affordable housing program.
The city's list shows a 26-townhome condominium project on about 1.73 acres of a church parking lot at 5802 Santa Catalina Avenue, in the same ZIP, under construction as of March 2026. The count and location match The Gables, but confirm with the sales office that they are the same project.
Melia Homes on Russell Avenue (26 townhomes proposed)
Melia Homes has applied to build 26 two-story townhomes on about 1.8 acres at 9822 Russell Avenue, a site that the city's list says previously held an elementary school. The request includes a General Plan amendment from Low Density to Low Medium Residential, a rezone from R-1 to a planned unit development, a tract map for condominium sales, and a Mitigated Negative Declaration. As of March 2026 it was before the Planning Commission, with the City Council as the deciding body. There is no name, price or sales date yet.
Recent Melia communities: Bria and Breckyn
Melia built two earlier Garden Grove townhome communities. Bria held its grand opening on May 30, 2020, with 31 townhomes in plans of 1,688 to 2,034 square feet. Breckyn was described by Melia as nearly sold out in July 2025. If you like the idea of a nearly new townhome without waiting for construction, these are worth comparing with the new communities above.
Single homes and duplexes on split lots
The rest of Garden Grove's new for-sale supply is small. The city's list includes a request to split an 18,125-square-foot lot at 12013 Lorna Street into two lots with a new house on each, a new two-story, four-bedroom house on a vacant lot at 11081 College Avenue, and new duplexes on Adelle Street, Katella Avenue, Dakota Avenue and Coast Street. These are usually built by small developers and sold one at a time on the open market, so watch listings rather than a sales office.
Withdrawn: 40 condos on Garden Grove Boulevard
The Olson Company's affiliate applied for 40 three-story condominiums at 8132 Garden Grove Boulevard, on a vacant church site, with four homes for moderate-income households. The city's list shows the application as withdrawn. Projects can stall or change, which is one reason to rely on the builder's own site and the city list rather than older news.
Garden Grove new home projects compared
| Project | Builder | Homes | Type | Price (checked Nov 1, 2026) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton Grove, 12701 Buaro St | Ashton 3 | 35 | 3-story townhomes, 972 to 1,562 sq ft | From $589,990; 3-bed $839,990 | Now selling |
| The Gables, West Garden Grove | Brandywine Homes | 26 | 2-story townhomes, 1,216 to 1,744 sq ft | Not posted | Final homes |
| 9822 Russell Ave | Melia Homes | 26 proposed | 2-story townhomes | Not published | In planning, March 2026 |
| Bria | Melia Homes | 31 | Townhomes, 1,688 to 2,034 sq ft | Not published | Opened 2020 |
| Breckyn | Melia Homes | Not stated | Townhomes | Not published | Nearly sold out, July 2025 |
| 8132 Garden Grove Blvd | Olson affiliate | 40 | 3-story condos | None | Withdrawn |
Sources: builder websites, a NewHomeSource search listing, and the City of Garden Grove Development Projects Update List for April 2024 to March 2026.
Mello-Roos, HOA dues and property tax on new Garden Grove homes
HOA dues at Ashton Grove and The Gables
Every active community here is a condominium map, so each home comes with an HOA that maintains the shared drives, landscaping and building exteriors. Neither Ashton Grove nor The Gables posted dues online. Ask for the budget filed with the state's public report, the reserve study and the dues for your plan, and read the CC&Rs. Our California HOA guide lists what you are entitled to see.
Garden Grove's paramedic levy and the tax rate
Garden Grove tax rates run higher than in many Orange County cities because of a local voter-approved levy. The Orange County Auditor-Controller's 2026-27 Tax Rate Book shows a Garden Grove 1974 paramedic tax override of 0.08% on top of the 1% base and school and college bonds. The most common total rate in the city's tax rate areas is 1.18101%, for areas in Garden Grove Unified and the Coast Community College District; other areas run from 1.10101% to 1.21216%, depending on which school and college districts' bonds apply. On a $839,990 Ashton Grove townhome at 1.18101%, the first full-year bill would be about $9,920, or about $9,838 after the $7,000 homeowners' exemption, before any special assessments.
Mello-Roos and special assessments
New homes can also carry a Mello-Roos special tax or assessment district, billed on top of the rate. None of the builder pages we read mentioned one; ask for the public report and the notice of special tax before you sign. See the Mello-Roos guide and the Orange County property tax guide for supplemental bills in the first year.
New vs resale in Garden Grove: what costs more
Redfin's resale figures for the three months to September 2026 give a baseline. In ZIP 92845, home of The Gables, the median townhouse sold for $923,766 on nine sales, and the median single-family home for $1,148,710. In ZIP 92840, where Ashton Grove sits, condos had a median of $549,984 on eight sales, and single-family homes $1,029,490; no townhouse sale closed there in the period. Citywide, Redfin's median sale price for all home types was $1,009,519 over the same three months, at $638 a square foot, with 173 sales and a median of 32 days on market.
So Ashton Grove's smaller plans sit near the resale condo range, and its three-bedroom plan sits below a typical resale house but above most resale condos. The new homes come with current energy code, builder warranties and no deferred maintenance; resales in Garden Grove are mostly older, and many are houses with yards. Compare cost per square foot as well as price.
At the Freddie Mac 30-year average of 7.24% for the week of October 29, 2026, a $671,992 loan (20% down on $839,990) costs about $4,580 a month in principal and interest, before tax, insurance and HOA dues. A builder's rate buydown can cut that, but it may require the builder's lender or come with a firmer price. Get a loan estimate from an outside lender too, and read our first-time buyer guide if this is your first purchase.
Inspections and warranties on new Garden Grove homes
Hiring your own inspector in Garden Grove
City building inspectors check code compliance, but they work for the city, not for you. Hire your own inspector for a pre-drywall visit and a final walk-through before closing. In three-story townhomes such as Ashton Grove, ask the inspector to look at deck and balcony waterproofing, stair and guardrail details and roof drainage. In two-story plans, look at attic insulation, the garage firewall and grading away from the foundation.
Builder warranties and affordable-home covenants
Get the builder's written warranty, and note how long each part lasts and how to file a claim. Ask the builder to explain in writing the claims process for construction defects and the deadlines that apply. For any home sold under the city's affordable housing program, read the covenant, resale limits and occupancy rules before you remove contingencies.
Hazard maps for a Garden Grove address
Ask about the soils and hazards reports too. Use the California Geological Survey's EQ Zapp and the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for the address, and read the natural hazard disclosure; see our seller disclosure guide.
Buying a new Garden Grove home with a local agent
Ask each sales office how it handles agent registration before your first visit. Ashton Grove's registration form asks whether you are a Realtor, and many builders only recognize an agent who comes with you on the first visit. An agent can compare a builder's price with recent resales nearby, read the HOA budget and public report, and keep track of the construction schedule. Settle how your agent is paid, and whether the builder contributes, in writing before you tour; see the commission guide.
For help comparing these communities with resale townhomes, our featured Garden Grove agent works the area. For prices by ZIP, see the Garden Grove ZIP codes page; for resale condos, see Garden Grove condos; and for the full city picture, the Garden Grove real estate guide.