While Los Angeles confronts an affordable housing crisis, community advocates joined together last week to celebrate the groundbreaking of a project that will create 100 affordable units in the 13th District. Leaders called it a “new day” for the community.

Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, center, breaks ground at the site where 100 affordable units are scheduled to be built.
(photo by Gregory Cornfield)

Projects like the one at 225 N. Vermont Ave. are vital after a state-mandated assessment found that Los Angeles needs to produce more than 33,000 affordable units citywide over the next eight years to address the low-income housing needs, said Rushmore Cervantes, general manager of the Housing and Community Investment Department.

The project, Meridian Apartments, will be a four-story residential building with retail on the ground floor.

Maurice Ramirez, with the AMCAL Housing developers, said 2-bedroom units will cost approximately $560 per month, and the higher-range 3-bedroom units will cost approximately $1,300 per month. Once a year, residents will receive free Metro transit passes.

“Being a half block from a Metro station [at Vermont Avenue and Beverly Boulevard], I think those are going to be pretty well-used,” Ramirez said.

Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District, who used to live around the corner from the project site, said affordable housing is badly needed in the area. He said similar projects are needed to bring the city out of the housing “crisis mode.”

He also commended the developers for helping to “build up” the city to make a more vibrant Los Angeles.

“These are exactly the types of projects that we need to produce, and we can’t build enough of them,” he said.

Cervantes said there are 55 similar projects in the pipeline creating 3,500 units that are transit-accessible.

The Meridian Apartments project is scheduled to be completed by September 2017.