Nonprofit Kicks Off SoCal Affordable Project
The project is slated for an early 2023 opening.
Monarch Apartment Homes groundbreaking. Image courtesy of Noé Montes
Community Housing Opportunities Corp. has broken ground on Monarch Apartment Homes, a 60-unit fully affordable development in Palm Springs, Calif. The $31 million project co-developed by the city is slated for a January 2023 delivery.
The ground-up development will take shape on a 3.6-acre parcel, donated by the city, at 3130 N. Indian Canyon Drive. Monarch Apartment Homes will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units across 15 single- and two-story buildings.
According to site plans, units will range between 560 and 1,075 square feet and will feature patios or balconies. Planned amenities include a community building with a laundry room, a lounge and a computer classroom, two barbecue areas, a dog park and a splash pad.
Monarch Apartment Homes is situated less than a mile from the Interstate 111 retail corridor, which also offers access to downtown Palm Springs.
Financing details
Monarch Apartment Homes. Rendering courtesy of Interactive Design Corp.
CHOC received $21 million in form of federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits allocated by the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.
According to CHOC, the project has received an additional $3.4 million in financing from the City Land and Affordable Housing Funds, while Riverside County has also contributed.
Designing an affordable community
The development, the city’s first affordable endeavor in 12 years, is designed by Interactive Design Corp. and HKIT Architects, with davisREED Construction Inc. serving as general contractor.
Maria Song, principal of Interactive Design Corp., believes in only adding enough parking spaces to satisfy zoning requirements, using the freed-up space to add social spaces. This belief is reflected in the project through the abundance of landscaping, shaded central courtyard, the main driveway giving way to a pedestrian plaza.
According to Song, affordable housing shouldn’t limit architectural design. Monarch Apartment Homes’ mid-century modern blends together with Spanish revival and Mediterranean California style, blending into the area’s personality at the same time.
