Following a groundbreaking ceremony last week, construction is officially underway for the next phase of the Jordan Downs revitalization project in Watts.

The $73-million project, called Phase 1B, is being developed by The Michaels Organization in Partnership with BRIDGE Housing, Plans call for the construction of 135 apartments home over a six-block area, with layouts ranging from one-to-five-bedrooms.  All of the new housing will be priced at levels affordable to families earning 60 percent or less than the area median income.  A report to the California State Treasurer's Office indicates that rents will be set between $507 and $1,307 per month.

SVA Architects is continuing in its role as architect for Phase 1B of the Jordan Downs project.

Last week's groundbreaking ceremony coincided with the grand opening of an extension of Century Boulevard through the site, intended to create better connections between Jordan Downs and the surrounding community.  

The full rebuild of the Jordan Downs site will transform 700 housing units which date to the 1940s into 1,400-income targeted homes with new retail, a community center, and more than nine acres of green space.  Construction is already underway for 115 residential units as part of the project's Phase 1A.

The City of Los Angeles has recently looked to reinvest in its aging stock of publicly-owned housing, bringing in private firms to rebuild and expand upon the Rose Hill Courts site in Montecito Heights and the Rancho San Pedro property near the Port of Los Angeles.