More than one year after breaking ground in Downtown San Pedro, wood framing is taking shape at the site of a new mixed-use apartment complex from local real estate firm South Bay Developers.

Located at 444 W. 5th Street, the project replaces a surface parking lot with what will eventually be an eight-story building featuring 99 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments atop approximately 2,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Plans also call for 120 parking spaces, which will be located at-grade and in a podium garage.

Construction of 444 5th StreetUrbanize LA

South Bay Developers secured approvals for the site using Transit Oriented Communities incentives to permit a larger structure than otherwise allowed by zoning rules. In exchange, eight of the apartments are to be set aside as affordable housing at the extremely low-income level.

DE Architects is designing 444 5th Street, which is portrayed in renderings as a contemporary mid-rise building. Besides housing, plans call for amenities such as a fitness room, a recreation room, and a rooftop deck.

444 W. 5th StreetGoogle Maps

The new apartment complex is the second from South Bay Developers to break ground in San Pedro, following a smaller 32-unit mixed-use building now taking shape a couple blocks south on 7th Street.

Outside of San Pedro, South Bay Developers broke ground earlier this year on a 15-unit mixed-use building just east of Normandie Avenue in Gardena.