Affordable housing in the works at 744 S. Kern Avenue in East L.A.

A pair of small commercial buildings just north of Whittier Boulevard in unincorporated East Los Angeles is poised for redevelopment with affordable housing, per an item considered by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

The County is slated to jointly apply with Hollywood Community Housing Corp. for up to $50 million in state funding for its Casa del Luz project, which would rise at 744-754 S. Kern Avenue. The proposed development would include 95 units of affordable housing, and is on track to complete its entitlement and environmental review process by March 2024, according to a staff report.

The application would seek funding through California's Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities, which is expected to award $675 million in total funding this year. The Casa del Luz project is seeking $35 million in loan funding, as well as a $15 million grant for housing-related infrastructure and transportation projects.

Potential transportation projects surrounding Casa de La LuzL.A. County

Among the projects which could receive funding through the grant request are:

seven new high-visibility crosswalks;
upgrades to the East L.A.'s El Sol shuttle bus;
three new bus shelters;
urban greening corridors along Olympic Boulevard and Arizona Avenue; and
a new bicycle boulevard with roundabouts on Ferris Avenue.

Hollywood Community Housing, which does much of its work in its hometown of Los Angeles to working in unincorporated communities under County land use jurisdictions. Its portfolio already includes at least one project in East Los Angeles, as well as an under-construction development in Walnut Park.

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