Affordable housing breaks ground at 1808 S. St. Andrews Place in Harvard Heights

At a September 12 ceremony, developer Holos Communities and local officials commenced work on a new affordable housing complex in Harvard Heights.

Steps on St. Andrews, named for its address at 1808 S. St. Andrews Place, is transforming a former craftsman home into eight apartments, while adding a three-story, 12-unit apartment building at the rear of the property. Plans call for retaining the front yard and porch of the original home, maintaining the site's historic view from the street. Original materials from the house, including its hardwood floors, shelving, and door knobs, are to be reused in the new construction.

Groundbreaking for Steps on St. AndrewsHolos Communities

The property will provide 19 units of permanent supportive housing reserved for veterans.

“As a nation, we must protect those who have served. Steps on St. Andrew’s offers struggling veterans a chance to build a stable foundation, improve their overall quality of life, and get the necessary assistance that they need to succeed,” said City Councilmember Heather Hutt at the ceremony. “Los Angeles has the largest number of homeless veterans in the State, and this project is only one of the City’s collaborative approaches to resolving our homelessness crisis with compassion, care, and resources that work.”

1808 S. St. Andrews PlaceGoogle Maps

The project is being built on public land awarded by the City of Los Angeles. Despite city ownership, the land was encumbered by zoning rules limiting the property to just 20 residential units, as well as a Community Plan Implementation Overlay which further limits what can be built.

Other members of the project team include architecture firm LOHA and service provider The People Concern. Funding for the development comes from National Equity Fund, Banner Bank, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

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