Two years ago, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Vermont Entertainment Village, which promised 127,000 square feet of shops and restaurants on a property that had been vacant since the 1992 uprising.  With no progress on the horizon for the blighted lot at Vermont and Manchester Avenues, it appears that L.A. County is now moving to take control of the site to facilitate a different type of development.

Next week, the Board of Supervisors will consider a recommendation from County's Chief Executive Office to adopt a resolution of necessity to condemn approximately 4.2 acres of Sassony- and CRA/LA-owned property along the east side of the 8400 and 8500 blocks of South Vermont Avenue.  This move - at an estimated cost of $15.7 million - would facilitate the construction of a mixed-use development on the property, featuring affordable housing, a boarding school, and a central transit plaza.

According to a site plan by KFA Architects, the proposed affordable housing complex would rise on the southern half of the project site, consisting of a six-story building featuring 180 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, 100 basement parking stalls and 50,000 square feet of street-level retail space.  Potential commercial uses include a career technical education center, a grocery store, and a bank.

The proposed boarding school is slated for the north side of the property, with plans calling for a six-story building featuring 20 faculty apartments and 200 dorm rooms.  The charter school would be served by an approximately 4.5-level, 283-car garage at the eastern side of the project site.

A transit plaza - framed by the school and the housing complex - will sit at the center of the property, providing 52,000 square feet of open space for bus transfers and recreation.  The project site sits at the confluence of several major transit routes, including a future bus rapid transit line down Vermont Avenue.

The Vermont and Manchester property was the subject of an L.A. Weekly article earlier this year, which described the Sassony Group as having held the property "hostage," for a quarter century.