Serenity apartments start to rise at 1623 W Manchester Avenue

One year after breaking ground in the Manchester Square neighborhood, a new affordable housing complex is starting to take shape next door to the Southside Church of Christ.

View looking north from Manchester AvenueUrbanize LA

The project, which is being built by John Stanley, Inc. in partnership with Innovative Housing Opportunities, spans a .82-acre property located at 1613-1639 W. Manchester Avenue. The project, which replaces Southside Church's parking lot, will eventually consist of a five-story building featuring 50 studio and one-bedroom apartments above 1,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a two-level 100-car podium garage. That garage will also include replacement parking for Southside Church.

All of the apartments at the project, dubbed "Serenity," will be reserved for renters aged 55 years up. Residents of the property will be restricted to those with annual incomes at or below 60 percent of the Los Angeles County area median income.

BSB Design is designing Serenity, which is depicted in renderings as a contemporary low-rise structure clad in stucco. In addition to housing, plans show that the building will feature a laundry facility, a club room, and a courtyard on its third floor.

View of 1613 Manchester Avenue looking northeastWithee Malcolm Architects