Decro Corporation, a non-profit builder of affordable housing, has secured $13-million in predevelopment funding for the construction of a mixed-use project in Lincoln Heights.

The project, called "The Brine," would rise on two-thirds of a city block located at 3000 N. Main Street - a short distance from LA County-USC Medical Center and Lincoln Park.  The centerpiece of the proposed development is a five-story building that would feature 97 affordable apartments - including 49 permanent supportive housing units - with 30,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and ancillary features such as classrooms, a fitness center, a community kitchen, and meeting rooms.  Plans also call for three other structures, including a 9,856-square-foot health center, a 3,687-square-foot pediatric mental health clinic, and a 17,300-square-foot medical office building above a two-story parking garage.

Decro is partnering with VIP Community Mental Health Center, Inc., which will provide social services for its residents.

The Brine, which is named in reference to the longtime owner of the project site - the A-1 Eastern Homemade Pickle Company - will house a local grocer within its ground-floor retail space.

Togawa Smith Martin is designing the project.

The $13-million in financing, which comes from the New Generation Fund - a partnership between the City of Los Angeles, Enterprise Community Partners, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation - follows a commitment last year of $11.6 million in Measure HHH Permanent Supportive Housing Loan funds from the City of Los Angeles.

“For nearly two years, Decro has sought to create a development that balances housing and health and meet the needs of Lincoln Heights residents, especially with the addition of a neighborhood grocery store in an area where none currently exists. With support from the City of Los Angeles, including City Councilmember Gil Cedillo and its Housing and Community Investment Development Department, Enterprise, and LISC, and the close of this financing, The Brine moves one step closer to achieving our mutual goal of revitalizing a neighborhood and community where Los Angeles first began,” said Ted M. Handel, Decro’s Chief Executive Officer in a statement.

Construction of The Brine is anticipated to begin in 2020.

Interested in finding affordable housing? Visit housing.lacity.org.