Firm Breaks Ground on LA Affordable Community
Development costs are above $65 million.
Thomas Safran & Associates has broken ground on The Arlington, an 84-unit affordable housing development in Los Angeles. The total development cost was $66.4 million as of June 2023, according to a Los Angeles Housing Department report.
The project will cater to households earning between 15 and 50 percent of the area median income, with 42 units providing permanent supportive housing that serves formerly homeless individuals.
Funding for the project includes $47.3 million in bonds issued by the California Municipal Finance Authority and $2 million from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Los Angeles County records show. Other sources of financing include the City of Los Angeles Housing Department’s Affordable Housing Managed Pipeline program, federal and state LIHTC and the Department of Toxic Substances Control.
The development will rise on a 1.1-acre site formerly used for oil production. The facility operated from the 1960s up until 2019, when production was halted and the site sold for $6 million, according to Urbanize LA. The California Regional Water Quality Control Board will oversee the environmental remediation for the site.
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Morley Builders serves as the general contractor while BSB Design is the architect of record and Newman Garrison + Partners provided conceptual design services.
Targeting LEED Silver certification, the approximately 80,000-square-foot project will encompass studio, as well as two- and three-bedroom floorplans ranging on average between 436 and 995 square feet. The development will also encompass 4,600 square feet of amenity space, 8,500 square feet of open space, 1,500 square feet of retail and 48 parking spaces.
Amenities are slated to feature a gym, bicycle storage, a courtyard with a playground and barbecue area, as well as a community room with a kitchen, TV and computer lab.
Located at 3300 W. Washington Blvd., the site is less than 1 mile from Interstate 110, while downtown Los Angeles is some 6 miles northeast. Several quick-service restaurants, transit stops and retail options are within walking distance.
Greater Los Angeles’ multifamily starts slow
As of June, Greater Los Angeles’ supply pipeline counted upward of 32,200 under-construction units, with north of 10,500 units being fully affordable, according to Yardi Matrix data. Year-to-date through June, developers broke ground on more than 1,200 units in the area, a significant decrease from last year’s figure, which clocked in at upward some 6,000 units during the same interval.
Another affordable project that’s currently in the works in Los Angeles is Kingsley Apartments, a 136-unit development. Colliers arranged a $24.4 million construction loan for that project earlier this month.
