Tag: Affordable Housing

WOODLAND HILLS—On January 13, local general contractor, R.D. Olson of R.D. Olson Construction broke ground on a $62 million affordable housing complex. De Soto will be located at 6033 De Soto Avenue and will have 207 units. Project plans indicate that De Soto will be a 271,568 square foot project built from a wood structure with five stories of apartments built above a double concrete podium parking garage. The new apartments will be available with one-, two-, and three-bedroom options. R.D. Olson partnered with the Meta Housing Corporation bringing affordable housing to the Warner Center. The Alcove is located at 21300 W. Oxnard Street. This project marks the fourth affordable housing development from this partnership. Previous joint efforts include Lamp Lodge located at 660 S. Stanford St. in downtown Los Angeles, Stony Oaks Apartments located at 2542 Old Stony Point Rd., in Santa Rosa, and the Alcove in the Warner Center. The President of R.D. Olson Construction issued the following statement regarding the new housing development plans for Woodland Hills. “Los Angeles faces one of the nation’s most severe affordable housing shortages, with families and working professionals priced out of safe, quality housing,” said Bill Wilhelm, President of R.D. Olson Construction. “Through our expanded partnership with Meta Housing Corporation, De Soto will deliver 207 homes for families earning between 30-70% of Area Median Income. Combined with The Alcove, we’re contributing over 500 units to Warner Center’s transformation into a more inclusive, transit-connected community and addressing both immediate needs and long-term affordability goals.” Like the Alcove, De Soto will be built in one phase over a 24-month period with the anticipated completion expected to be in early 2028. The amenities of De Soto include a community room with workstations, and a children’s play area for working families and outdoor gathering space with courtyard to foster a sense of community in the complex. High-efficiency HVAC and central boiler systems will be used to reduce energy consumption and reduce long-term operating costs for residents. Cool Roof-rated roofing material that reflects light reflects sunlight, absorbs less heat and reduces cooling costs. On his webpage, R.D. Olson spoke of the need for affordable housing in the area. The full text may be found on his website. “The housing crisis in California continues to rise, especially with the tragic fires that just took place in the Greater Los Angeles region. We are now looking at an unprecedented number of unhoused individuals on top of the lack of supply of housing that was already present in California. A notable example is an affordable housing project we completed last year are the West Carson Villas. Located in South Bay, a quieter coastal residential region approximately 13 miles south of Downtown, West Carson Villas provides 111 units of supportive housing to residents earning 30 and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). Not only is the Gold LEED certified project, but] it also incorporates solar panels, energy-saving appliances and a hot water recirculation system. These environmental standards, among others, are incorporated into our projects throughout Los Angeles and California as a whole.”   By Sharon  

BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills will be holding an Affordable Housing Informational Outreach Meeting on Monday, February 10.

The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. till 7 p.m. at the Municipal Gallery at City Hall 455 N. Rexford Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

For more information on attending virtually by Zoom, visit beverlyhills.org/affordablehousing.

For further questions, please contact affordablehousing@beverlyhills.org or call our askBH Hotline at (310) 285-1000.

By Trevor

SANTA MONICA—On March 19, the Santa Monica City Council approved to move forward with an agreement with Hollywood Community Housing Corporation to add to the city’s supply of affordable and permanent supportive housing.

The proposed projects, which are expected to come back for final approval by the City Council, include approximately 130 units on three city-owned properties at 1217 Euclid Street, 1211-1217 14th Street and 1146 16th Street, in line with the city’s approved Housing Element.

The City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element commits the city of Santa Monica to developing 100 percent affordable housing on specific City-owned sites to meet its share of regional affordable housing. The sites identified in the Housing Element include three surface public parking lots near Wilshire Boulevard and 14th Street. In accordance with the Housing Element, the City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to evaluate and select a development team qualified to undertake the development of the three sites. An evaluation committee composed of representatives from several City departments and a consultant reviewed proposals from nine teams. Staff recommends the City Council selection of a team led by Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (HCHC) based on the team’s overall experience in development, design, operations, and supportive services, including the strength of its proposal for the sites.

According to a press release from the city’s website, once built, the projects are expected to assist individuals and families making anywhere from 30 to 80 percent of the Area Median Income, as well as individuals experiencing homelessness. Having the projects online will assist the cities goal of Addressing Homelessness and Justice, Equity & Diversity.

The Euclid Street site will include permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals, with The People Concern as the lead supportive service provider. They will provide wrap around supportive services including mental health services, crisis intervention, individual therapy, rehabilitation and therapeutic groups, substance abuse services, life skills education, medication management, benefits assistance and connections to outside services as needed.

“An important part of Santa Monica’s Housing Element is our commitment to dedicate several city-owned properties to advance much-needed affordable housing production,” said Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock. “I am glad to see these projects moving forward as part of our city’s strategic effort to address homelessness and continue to build a community where all have the ability to live and thrive.”

Hollywood Community Housing Corporation was selected through a competitive bidding process based on experience and other criteria.

Next steps include a community engagement process to allow for input on the design and development plan. A refined proposal incorporating community feedback is expected to return to council for final consideration and approval in 2025.

For more details review the staff report and watch the council meeting.

By Trevor

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Monday, January 22, the city of West Hollywood announced on its website that they received a $150,000 funding award from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), which aims to support the city’s housing goals. Funding is part of SCAG’s allocation of $45 million in Lasting Affordability Program funding in support of 14 innovative housing finance projects across Southern California.

According to a news release from the city’s website, the grant received will be dedicated to a feasibility study for the development of a community land trust within WeHo. The City’s Long Range Planning Division will examine the creation of a community land trust to expand approaches for attaining affordable housing and affordable homeownership.

The expected outcome from forming such a community land trust includes progress toward meeting West Hollywood’s objective of creating 500 new affordable housing units by the year 2029.

The Lasting Affordability Program is one of the three funding areas in the Programs to Accelerate Transformative Housing (PATH) program, which is part of SCAG’s REAP 2.0 Program Framework. REAP 2.0 is a statewide grant administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) that focuses on reaching state housing goals and climate commitments. It makes $45 million available to support programmatic level investments in housing trust funds, community land trusts, and catalyst funds.

SCAG is the country’s largest metropolitan planning organization, representing six counties, 191 cities and nearly 19 million residents. SCAG undertakes a variety of planning and policy initiatives to prepare for a livable and sustainable Southern California presently and in the future. For more details about SCAG’s regional efforts, visit www.scag.ca.gov.

For information about the project and Long-Range Planning in the region contact Francisco Contreras, West Hollywood’s Long-Range Planning Manager at (323) 848-6874 or at fcontreras@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing call TTY (323) 848-6496.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—On Thursday, January 18, the Los Angeles Times reported that Beverly Hills authorities are appealing Judge Kim’s December 21, 2023 decision to place a moratorium on building permits other than new residential developments due to the reported failure of city leaders to provide evidence of a plan for affordable housing.

Judge Kim noted in his ruling that Beverly Hills is relying on medical office buildings and car dealerships being converted into affordable housing despite Beverly Hills’ admission that this transition is unlikely, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Kim is allowing some permits and relayed that doing so places cities at risk of penalties for not fulfilling requirements by California law.

Real estate agents indicate that population growth in Beverly Hills stagnated, and potentially declined.

According to the World Population Review, the current population in Beverly Hills is 29,748. In 2021, the population was 31,900. In 2022, 31,200, and in 2023, 31,400 people resided in the region.

Californians for Homeownership is a non–profit organization that filed lawsuits against ten California cities that failed to meet state housing planning obligations including, Beverly Hills, Bradbury, Claremont, Fullerton, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, Laguna Hills, Manhattan Beach, South Pasadena, and Vernon.

“We have filed lawsuits against ten Southern California cities for violating state laws that require cities to plan for the development of housing. The litigation aims to enforce the requirements of California’s RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) and housing element laws. Under the RHNA system, the state and local governments work together to identify regional housing needs and distribute them among a region’s cities and counties. Each city and county must then develop a housing element, a component of the city’s general plan that identifies sites available for future housing development sufficient to meet the city’s RHNA allocation.

If the city cannot identify adequate sites, it must change its zoning to allow additional housing development. Our lawsuits against Manhattan Beach and Beverly Hills focus on problems with the cities’ adopted housing elements. State law requires housing elements to identify sites that are likely to be developed into housing over an eight-year planning period by 2029,” reads a statement from the California for Homeowners website.

The Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) is a process under California state law that allows cities and unincorporated areas in the counties to plan and prepare to accommodate projected population growth.

By Sharon