Plans scheduled to be presented to the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board on May 15 reveal a design refresh for a proposed affordable housing complex which would replace a surface parking lot across the street from the Miramar Hotel.
As part of a development agreement for an expansion and revamp of the hotel complex, which was approved in October 2020, the parking lot at 1127-1129 2nd Street will be redeveloped with a five-story building featuring 42 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments -all of which would be priced below market rate. Plans also call for 37 parking stalls to be located in a single subterranean level.
View looking southeast from 2nd StreetGwynne Pugh Urban Studio
Community Corp. of Santa Monica, the non-profit developer which will be responsible for the affordable housing, has also proposed a community room and central courtyard at the ground floor, as well as a small rooftop amenity space.
"The courtyard building design is characterized by a [five]-story building to the north and [four]-story building to the south," reads a staff report to the Board, describe the design by Gwynne Pugh Urban Studio. "Within that asymmetrical geometry, there is a frame element and curved corners on both buildings to create a dialogue between forms."
1127-1129 2nd StreetCity of Santa Monica
While the current concept was developed to address feedback provided at an earlier meeting of the Board, which pointed to the dimensions of the courtyard and the exterior finishes as potential issues with the design. While the staff report concludes that not all of the criticisms have been addressed by the design changes, it nonetheless recommends approval of the project.
Community Corp., best known for building affordable housing in its hometown, has more recently started venturing into neighboring jurisdictions such as Culver City and Los Angeles.
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- 1127 2nd Street (Urbanize LA)
Looking for affordable housing? Visit lahousing.lacity.org/aahr and housing.lacounty.gov
