A staff report to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors offers a closer look at plans to bring mixed-income housing, medical research space, and a sports complex to the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine campus in unincorporated Willowbrook.
"Multiple forms of circulation"Los Angeles County
The project site consists of 12 acres of publicly-owned land, including the shuttered campus of Lincoln Elementary School and an adjoining property at 1655 E. 117th Street. In 2020, the County selected Charles Drew University and developers Thomas Safran & Associates and Century Housing Corporation to redevelop the unused land with a new CDU Wellness Campus consisting of:
- 254 units of affordable housing (including 54 units for seniors);
- 333 units of workforce and student housing; 116,000 square feet of offices which would be used for research and clinical space;
- a sports complex with basketball courts, aquatic facilities, and a multi-purpose soccer field; and
- a parking garage.
At the time the project was announced, it was expected that the new space would be subdivided for use by Charles Drew University and other local non-profits and medical institutions. The Drew Child Development Corporation and MLK Community Hospital were each slated to occupy up to 30,000 square feet of space.
"Pavilions"Los Angeles County
Plans show buildings ranging up to four- and five-stories in height, all interspersed with new paseos, courtyards, gardens, and other green spaces. Parking facilities would be placed to the north of the site, adjacent to the I-105 Freeway.
To allow for the completion of environmental review and other agreements between interested parties, the staff report recommends that the County should extend its negotiating agreement with the development team through June 2025.
Site planLos Angeles County
The recommendation is to be considered at the June 4 meeting of the Board of Supervisors.
Charles Drew University is also expanding to the south of the new CDU Wellness Campus, with plans for a new 92,000-square-foot building at 1731 E. 120th Street which would serve as the new home of the school's College of Medicine.
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