“The Monster” looms over Fran Andrade’s pink and white, single-story house.

That’s what she calls Elan, a new towering apartment complex a block away, visible from Andrade’s home on the cul de sac of La Palma Drive in Huntington Beach. Construction alone has created a traffic nightmare, Andrade says. She fears what the increase in cars will look like on the nearby thoroughfares once the building’s 274 units are rented out.

“Beach Boulevard is busy. It’s like a freeway,” says Andrade, 80, who has lived at her home for 60 years. “I think the location is wrong.”

Andrade isn’t alone.

An informal poll on the Huntington Beach Community Forum Facebook page received hundreds of responses opposing high-density developments.

Some city leaders have said that such developments could shrink city coffers by pushing out car dealerships, which are some of Huntington Beach’s top sales tax producers. Others say new apartment buildings are essential to keep housing affordable for young people in a city with an aging population and where empty nesters tend to stay put.

The Center for Demographic Research at Cal State Fullerton estimates the population of Huntington Beach will grow by 9,000 people by 2040. But that population could be an older crowd.

Census data shows the number of residents over the age of 45 has grown, with the percentage of those between the ages of 65 and 74 increasing from 5.9 percent in 2000 to 9 percent from 2000 to 2013. Meanwhile, the number of people under the age of 44 is shrinking. In 2000 residents between the ages of 35 and 44 made up 17.5 percent of the population. Thirteen years later, the same group made up 15 percent of the population.

The lack of affordable housing for the young and the need to reinvigorate rundown portions of major city roads are problems the city tried to treat in a city plan that unfolded over four years.

Starting in 2006, the city began looking at how to address the aging strip malls and hodgepodge businesses lining Beach Boulevard. In 2010, the Beach and Edinger Corridors Specific Plan was adopted, a plan to revitalize 459 acres – breathing new life into an aging artery while paving the way for housing for young people who are finding their footing in careers.

The plan breaks the L-shape area into five segments, each one with its own plan and standards for development. The southern segment would emphasize preserving the current atmosphere, while other portions would encourage a pedestrian environment, mixed use developments and the creation of a central hub in Huntington Beach.

“It’s a good plan, it’s just not a Huntington Beach plan,” said Mayor Jill Hardy, who has opposed the Beach Edinger plan and says it allows for too much development.

Dan Kalmick, the chairman of the city’s planning commission, disagrees saying Beach Boulevard is the best place to put high density buildings, since it’s removed from the bedroom communities of other parts of the city. To keep and attract young people, Huntington Beach needs to accommodate those who can’t afford pricy homes, he says.

“If you make minimum wage, you can’t live in Huntington Beach. Where is everybody going to live?” Kalmick asks. “We’re not talking about building big buildings in people’s suburban sprawl.”

Kalmick is advocating for a holistic look at the city, fostering a tech sector in the city’s northern industrial section, while also lobbying for more public transportation.

Some residents don’t mind the growth.

Alex Watson, 18, lives across the street from Oceana, a 78-unit apartment structure being built Beach Boulevard, and has acclimated to the noise from construction.

“You get used to it,” Watson said, “like having a train by your house.”

He said while some of his neighbors may not like the new developments, he doesn’t see a problem with having more people living across the street.

“I don’t mind it. It’s a change,” Watson said. “It’s going to upset people, but it will also help people.”

For those who live at The Residences at Bella Terra, an earlier venture in high density in Huntington Beach, the location and convenience of nearby shops gets them out of their cars.

April Nygren, 30, knew she wanted to live in Huntington Beach when she and her husband moved from New York. They picked the Residences because it put her within walking distance of Golden West College and she only has to drive a few times a week.

Dana Thornburg, 56, thinks living at the Residences is a dream. She finds the bustle romantic, like living in a large metropolitan city, and enjoys the walkability.

“I love the fact that if I’m out of mascara I can walk to Ulta and get it. … I can walk to dinner in five minutes,” Thornburg said. “It’s just the stage we’re at in our life. And it’s a great one.”

Contact the writer: lwilliams@ocregister.com, 714-796-2286