New look for affordable housing at 2518-2536 E Cesar E Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights

At the intersection of Soto Street and Cesar E Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights, Abode Communities is now midway through construction of La Veranda, a mixed-use affordable housing complex. Soon, the developer hopes to start work on a similar project next door.

On September 29, Abode gave a presentation to the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council's Planning and Land Use Committee regarding Chavez Gardens, a proposed project which would rise from a Metro-owned site at 2518-2536 E Cesar E Chavez Avenue. The project, which would include sites along the south side of the street between Mathews Street to the west and Fickett Street to the east, calls for the construction of 110 apartments above 3,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and parking for 44 vehicles.

The proposed apartments would come in a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom layouts, and serve households earning between 30 and 50 percent of the Los Angeles area median income level.

The design of Chavez Gardens calls for a pair of four-story structures on two sides of a north-south alley which cuts through the property. The contemporary low-rise buildings would incorporate architectural details that reference surrounding properties along Cesar E Chavez Avenue. Plans also call for open spaces including a courtyard with a playground, a resident center and conference room, outdoor seating, and a community garden facing Mathews Street.

Abode is pursuing the project using density bonus incentives to permit a larger, denser building than typically allowed by zoning rules.

According to the presentation, Abode hopes to break ground on the project in 2023 and open Chavez Gardens for residents by 2025.

The current project is the second which Abode has planned for the project site. The developer had previously pursued a building with just 60 apartments, but a larger 25,000-square-foot grocery store at street level, as well as a 6,500-square-foot pocket park.

While Chavez Gardens no long includes a park, new open space is taking shape nearby. A short walk south of 318 N. Mathews Street, the City of L.A. is building a new pocket park on the former site of an early 20th century home.

Looking for affordable housing? Visit lahousing.lacity.org/aahr and housing.lacounty.gov

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