A plan to build 1,200 units of permanent supportive housing on the Westwood VA Campus is one step closer to reality, according to a pair of motions introduced yesterday by Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin.
The two motions, if adopted by the full City Council, will allow the City of Los Angeles to issued $43.7 million in Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds to finance the refurbishment of Buildings 205 and 208 at the VA Campus with 122 rental units to be priced as affordable housing at the low- and very-low-income levels. The proposed apartments are intended to serve homeless veterans.
Figueroa Economical Housing Development Corporation is listed as the sponsor and developer of the proposed adaptive reuse projects.
The refurbishment of Buildings 205 and 208 are part of the initial phase of development at the VA Campus, which will create more than 480 permanent supportive housing units during the first four years of the master plan. To date, 54 apartments have been completed on the campus, with the full master plan scheduled to be completed over a period of six-to-ten years.
While the more ambitious slate of permanent housing may take years to build out, the VA Campus is also set to provide temporary accommodations for homeless veterans in the near-term future. Bonin recently announced plans to bring a 100-bed emergency shelter to the campus as part of Mayor Eric Garcetti's "A Bridge Home" program. The $5-million facility is expected to open in 2019.
- Westwood Archive (Urbanize LA)