Supportive housing to rise above Metro stop in East Hollywood

Construction is expected to begin soon for a new affordable and permanent supportive housing development above a Metro stop in East Hollywood.

Non-profit developer and service provider Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) has secured financing for the Santa Monica Vermont Apartments, a proposed mixed-use project which would rise on properties flanking the B Line's Vermont/Santa Monica Station. Plans call for the construction of six-story complex featuring 187 apartments and ground-floor commercial space. That total includes 94 units of permanent supportive housing, 91 units of affordable housing priced for very low-income households, and two unrestricted manager's units.

View of Vermont Santa Monica development and plazaKoning Eizenberg Architecture

Per an application to the State of California for tax credit financing, the apartments will come in a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans, with monthly rents ranging from $591 to $1,474 per month.

“The need for affordable and permanent supportive housing has never been more urgent as market-rate developments continue to crop up in East Hollywood and the homelessness crisis continues to worsen with the ongoing pandemic,” said LTSC's director of real estate development Debbie Chen in a statement.

The project's ground-floor commercial space will be occupied by community-serving uses, including a health center and a food court. The Koning Eizenberg-designed development will also revamp the plaza wrapping the entrance to the subway station, adding a new bike and mobility hub and improved transit shelters.

Future residents will also have access to supportive services provided by Housing Works.

Location of Vermont/Santa Monica station and joint developmentMetro

“This is another example showing Metro’s continued commitment in delivering on our Board’s mandate to have a total of 10,000 housing units as part of our agency’s Joint Development portfolio by 2031, with 5,000 of those units being affordable,” said Metro Board Chair Hilda L. Solis in a news release. “East Hollywood is a community in the First Supervisorial District that is in dire need of more housing options. Transit-oriented development on Metro-owned land near transit stops helps families reduce the two largest household expenses, housing and transportation."

LTSC is also behind plans for similar affordable and supportive housing developments next to the Japanese American National Museum and at the former home of the Umeya Rice Cake Company.