A wedge-shaped lot adjacent the G Line busway in North Hollywood has been converted into a "tiny home village" by the City of Los Angeles.

Aerial view looking westLehrer Architects

The wedge-shaped half-acre property, located at 11471 Chandler Boulevard, has been converted into the Chandler Boulevard Bridge Home Village, which includes 39 dwellings for unhoused residents using a series of prefabricated pallet shelters.

Per information released by Hope of the Valley, the non-profit organization that will operate the facility, each of the units is 64 square feet in size, and includes a heater, air conditioning, four windows, two beds, and a front door which locks.  On-site staff will provide supportive services to residents, while a common restroom will include five toilets, five sinks, and five showers.  Residents will be provided with three meals per day.

Lehrer Architects designed the tiny home village, which is described in a news release as "a plan of spatial character, colorful details, and logistical efficiency."  Bright colors are used on many of the buildings, as well as the on the ground areas throughout the site.

Ground-level view of the tiny home villageLehrer Architects

The village - which was built over a period of 13 weeks - is a novel approach to bridge housing in the City of Los Angeles, and could set the stage for similar projects on other odd-shaped lots that have not attracted development.  However, the nature of the unused property posed a unique set of challenges.

“The biggest cost contributors were the new 550’ long sewer line extension, protective barriers for pedestrians, leveling the street for ADA due to lack of sidewalks, and adding a fire lane throughout the entire site, but this upfront investment means that the site is now developed in perpetuity, so will continue to serve the city after it has completed serving the houseless residents,” says Lehrer Architects partner Nerin Kadribegovic.

The cost of those improvements resulted in an overall project cost of $5.2 million, a recent Los Angeles Times Editorial noted.

Aerial view of the tiny home villageLehrer Architects

Nonetheless, additional projects are in the works.  Including the North Hollywood village, is planning 466 tiny homes on seven sites.