Latest news with #LA4LA
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
L.A. housing authority turning luxury Woodland Hills apartments into affordable housing
Just off the Topanga Canyon exit of the 101 Freeway sits a prime example of modern, luxury apartment living. Built in 2020, the Clarendon Apartments in Woodland Hills feature poolside cabanas, a fire pit terrace and 24-hour community room with a kitchen and a billiard table. The apartments themselves are spacious — on average two-bedroom units top 1,000 square feet and go for more than $3,000 a month. Now, a key portion of that is about to change. In December, the 335-unit complex was acquired by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, which is in the process of turning it into a mixed-income property, while retaining the luxury amenities. The authority, which used a unique form of financing, sees the acquisition as a model to expand its affordable housing portfolio, including in areas like Woodland Hills that are close to jobs and good schools. "It is really important for us to create housing opportunities and open up access to neighborhoods that are stable," housing authority Chief Executive Lourdes Castro Ramirez said. Under the plan for the Clarendon, about a third of the units will be reserved for low-income households, defined as those making 80% or less of the area median income. The remaining will be set aside for middle-income households, making up to 150% of the median income. Rent will vary depending on income, but for a household of three in the lowest of the low-income branch, a two-bedroom will cost a maximum of $936 a month — a few thousand dollars below current levels. Some middle-income units won't differ much from the market rate, but the housing authority said overall average rent is still expected to be 32% less than what it was under the old owner. The local housing authority is best known for owning traditional public housing complexes such as Nickerson Gardens in Watts and for administering the federal Section 8 voucher program, which subsidizes the rent that low-income tenants pay to private landlords. Less known is that the authority owns about 150 other rental properties, with a mix of market-rate and affordable units, mostly purchased in the 1980s. But last year, the housing authority set aside $30 million to ramp up acquisitions. The first major property acquired using those funds was the $156-million Clarendon Apartments. The agency put in $12.5 million from its $30-million fund as equity and issued tax-exempt bonds that it sold to private investors to cover most of the rest. Financing for the Clarendon also included a $5-million, low-interest loan from LA4LA, a new organization championed by Mayor Karen Bass that uses philanthropic dollars to fund affordable housing. In total, about 11% of the financing to acquire the Clarendon came directly from the government and philanthropy, with the rest from private bond investors. All parties — bond investors, the housing authority and philanthropic funds — expect to earn at least some return on their investment. Sarah Dusseault, lead strategist for LA4LA, said that by leveraging investment from the nonprofit and private sectors, the Clarendon model enables scarce government dollars to go further and provides an opportunity to meaningfully improve the affordability crisis. Not only can the model support acquisitions, Dusseault argued, it could be used to build affordable housing cheaper and quicker, in part because when compared with today's government-heavy finance process there are fewer hurdles to raising money in the bond market. "We can actually have the capital available at the scale we need it," Dusseault said. Before the housing authority purchase, the Clarendon set aside 8% of the units for lower-income families, but the agency is greatly expanding the number available and putting some rent restrictions on all units. Annual rent increases for tenants will also be capped at 4%. Despite that, the housing authority expects to earn about $1 million annually on the property in the first few years, according to an agency report, money that can be used to provide its tenants more services or acquire additional units. One reason the Clarendon is still expected to produce income is that as a government agency, the housing authority doesn't need to pay property tax. In that way, the Clarendon acquisition was similar to deals other cities have completed in recent years, in which they partnered with private real estate firms to acquire properties and lower the rent. The housing authority, however, said its model has the potential to produce more affordability than those deals, because unlike private firms, the agency doesn't charge fees and it has access to a certain type of funding from the federal government that only housing agencies do. For example, the housing authority is receiving money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that will subsidize rent for many of the property's tenants that make very low or extremely low incomes. In all, there will be 24 units reserved for households making 30% or less of the area median income and an additional 42 for those making 50% or less of the median income — levels of affordability not achieved in most of the deals cities did with private partners. The housing authority hopes the Clarendon isn't a one-off and is exploring ways to find more money for acquisitions. At the moment, the agency said, all tenants are left over from the previous owner and can stay as long as they want. When they move out, they will be replaced by low- and middle-income residents who will pay rent deemed affordable based on their incomes. Out of the 335 units at the Clarendon, the vast majority are one and two bedrooms, which the housing authority says are most in demand for lower-income households. Unlike most buildings where low-income families live, tenants will have all the bells and whistles: new appliances, "smart" HVAC systems, a community business center and poolside cabanas under palm trees. "This is," Castro Ramirez said, "a wonderful building." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
03-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. housing authority turning luxury Woodland Hills apartments into affordable housing
Just off the Topanga Canyon exit of the 101 Freeway sits a prime example of modern, luxury apartment living. Built in 2020, the Clarendon Apartments in Woodland Hills feature poolside cabanas, a fire pit terrace and 24-hour community room with a kitchen and a billiard table. The apartments themselves are spacious — on average two-bedroom units top 1,000 square feet and go for more than $3,000 a month. Now, a key portion of that is about to change. In December, the 335-unit complex was acquired by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, which is in the process of turning it into a mixed-income property, while retaining the luxury amenities. The authority, which used a unique form of financing, sees the acquisition as a model to expand its affordable housing portfolio, including in areas like Woodland Hills that are close to jobs and good schools. 'It is really important for us to create housing opportunities and open up access to neighborhoods that are stable,' housing authority Chief Executive Lourdes Castro Ramirez said. Under the plan for the Clarendon, about a third of the units will be reserved for low-income households, defined as those making 80% or less of the area median income. The remaining will be set aside for middle-income households, making up to 150% of the median income. Rent will vary depending on income, but for a household of three in the lowest of the low-income branch, a two-bedroom will cost a maximum of $936 a month — a few thousand dollars below current levels. Some middle-income units won't differ much from the market rate, but the housing authority said overall average rent is still expected to be 32% less than what it was under the old owner. The local housing authority is best known for owning traditional public housing complexes such as Nickerson Gardens in Watts and for administering the federal Section 8 voucher program, which subsidizes the rent that low-income tenants pay to private landlords. Less known is that the authority owns about 150 other rental properties, with a mix of market-rate and affordable units, mostly purchased in the 1980s. But last year, the housing authority set aside $30 million to ramp up acquisitions. The first major property acquired using those funds was the $156-million Clarendon Apartments. The agency put in $12.5 million from its $30-million fund as equity and issued tax-exempt bonds that it sold to private investors to cover most of the rest. Financing for the Clarendon also included a $5-million, low-interest loan from LA4LA, a new organization championed by Mayor Karen Bass that uses philanthropic dollars to fund affordable housing. In total, about 11% of the financing to acquire the Clarendon came directly from the government and philanthropy, with the rest from private bond investors. All parties — bond investors, the housing authority and philanthropic funds — expect to earn at least some return on their investment. Sarah Dusseault, lead strategist for LA4LA, said that by leveraging investment from the nonprofit and private sectors, the Clarendon model enables scarce government dollars to go further and provides an opportunity to meaningfully improve the affordability crisis. Not only can the model support acquisitions, Dusseault argued, it could be used to build affordable housing cheaper and quicker, in part because when compared with today's government-heavy finance process there are fewer hurdles to raising money in the bond market. 'We can actually have the capital available at the scale we need it,' Dusseault said. Before the housing authority purchase, the Clarendon set aside 8% of the units for lower-income families, but the agency is greatly expanding the number available and putting some rent restrictions on all units. Annual rent increases for tenants will also be capped at 4%. Despite that, the housing authority expects to earn about $1 million annually on the property in the first few years, according to an agency report, money that can be used to provide its tenants more services or acquire additional units. One reason the Clarendon is still expected to produce income is that as a government agency, the housing authority doesn't need to pay property tax. In that way, the Clarendon acquisition was similar to deals other cities have completed in recent years, in which they partnered with private real estate firms to acquire properties and lower the rent. The housing authority, however, said its model has the potential to produce more affordability than those deals, because unlike private firms, the agency doesn't charge fees and it has access to a certain type of funding from the federal government that only housing agencies do. For example, the housing authority is receiving money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that will subsidize rent for many of the property's tenants that make very low or extremely low incomes. In all, there will be 24 units reserved for households making 30% or less of the area median income and an additional 42 for those making 50% or less of the median income — levels of affordability not achieved in most of the deals cities did with private partners. The housing authority hopes the Clarendon isn't a one-off and is exploring ways to find more money for acquisitions. At the moment, the agency said, all tenants are left over from the previous owner and can stay as long as they want. When they move out, they will be replaced by low- and middle-income residents who will pay rent deemed affordable based on their incomes. Out of the 335 units at the Clarendon, the vast majority are one and two bedrooms, which the housing authority says are most in demand for lower-income households. Unlike most buildings where low-income families live, tenants will have all the bells and whistles: new appliances, 'smart' HVAC systems, a community business center and poolside cabanas under palm trees. 'This is,' Castro Ramirez said, 'a wonderful building.'
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Los Angeles launches effort to encourage starter homes on city-owned vacant lots
The city of Los Angeles is launching a new initiative to encourage the construction of starter homes on small lots, an effort to provide relatively lower-cost for-sale housing and show how Los Angeles can densify without turning into Manhattan. The initiative, called Small Lots, Big Impacts, kicked off Wednesday with a design competition for architects and others to craft innovative plans for multiple small homes on one lot, with the hope those units will be less expensive than larger options being built by developers today. Winning designs are meant to eventually serve as preapproved city templates that all developers could use. Government officials also plan to start selling off a handful of small, city-owned lots to builders to demonstrate — in real life — what is possible with the designs. 'Angelenos should be able to buy their first home and raise their families in our city,' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. 'The launch of Small Lots, Big Impacts is a step toward that future.' Read more: Housing tracker: Southern California home prices dipped in January The initiative is a partnership between the city, the public-private program LA4LA and UCLA's cityLAB research center, which found that there are roughly 24,000 vacant lots in Los Angeles smaller than a quarter of an acre where housing is currently allowed. The city owns about 1,000 of these lots and plans to sell off about 10 of them as part of its demonstration project. Today, depending on the neighborhood, builders on lots of this size often construct large single-family houses or three to five large townhomes. Other times, nothing is built, because high construction costs mean developers won't make enough money unless they combine adjacent lots to build one large apartment building, said Azeen Khanmalek, who formerly worked in the mayor's office and is now executive director of the advocacy group Abundant Housing. The goal of Small Lots, Big Impacts is to provide another option: for-sale homes that are smaller and less expensive than a McMansion or a 2,000-square-foot townhome. "That isn't on the market" today, cityLAB director Dan Cuff said. To get there, designers are encouraged to use innovative construction materials and methods that would protect against fire and bring down the cost of overall construction. Officials said such designs could help Pacific Palisades build back after January's infernos. The City Council must ultimately approve the plan to sell off city lots. For now, officials hope to sell them to developers who could use the winning architectural designs to build for-sale homes. The city would use proceeds from the lot sales to fund down payment assistance for home buyers who would purchase the new units. According to the city housing department, eventual projects are likely to be between four and 20 units, with building heights ranging mostly from one to three stories. Architects are being asked to design for multiple homes on one lot, but competition organizers want them to do so while giving eventual homeowners access to the outdoors, natural light and a "comfortable relationship with neighbors." Cuff said she hopes the design competition and subsequent building on city lots will show developers they can make money doing the same thing on land that's now privately owned. She also hopes it will show the general public that Los Angeles doesn't have to rely on skyscrapers to grow. "These projects I think will really demonstrate that living together, with slightly more households on a site, is going to be a pretty nice arraignment," Cuff said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
05-03-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles launches effort to encourage starter homes on city-owned vacant lots
The city of Los Angeles is launching a new initiative to encourage the construction of starter homes on small lots, an effort to provide relatively lower-cost for-sale housing and show how Los Angeles can densify without turning into Manhattan. The initiative, called Small Lots, Big Impacts, kicked off Wednesday with a design competition for architects and others to craft innovative plans for multiple small homes on one lot, with the hope those units will be less expensive than larger options being built by developers today. Winning designs are meant to eventually serve as preapproved city templates that all developers could use. Government officials also plan to start selling off a handful of small, city-owned lots to builders to demonstrate — in real life — what is possible with the designs. 'Angelenos should be able to buy their first home and raise their families in our city,' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. 'The launch of Small Lots, Big Impacts is a step toward that future.' The initiative is a partnership between the city, the public-private program LA4LA and UCLA's cityLAB research center, which found that there are roughly 24,000 vacant lots in Los Angeles smaller than a quarter of an acre where housing is currently allowed. The city owns about 1,000 of these lots and plans to sell off about 10 of them as part of its demonstration project. Today, depending on the neighborhood, builders on lots of this size often construct large single-family houses or three to five large townhomes. Other times, nothing is built, because high construction costs mean developers won't make enough money unless they combine adjacent lots to build one large apartment building, said Azeen Khanmalek, who formerly worked in the mayor's office and is now executive director of the advocacy group Abundant Housing. The goal of Small Lots, Big Impacts is to provide another option: for-sale homes that are smaller and less expensive than a McMansion or a 2,000-square-foot townhome. 'That isn't on the market' today, cityLAB director Dan Cuff said. To get there, designers are encouraged to use innovative construction materials and methods that would protect against fire and bring down the cost of overall construction. Officials said such designs could help Pacific Palisades build back after January's infernos. The City Council must ultimately approve the plan to sell off city lots. For now, officials hope to sell them to developers who could use the winning architectural designs to build for-sale homes. The city would use proceeds from the lot sales to fund down payment assistance for home buyers who would purchase the new units. According to the city housing department, eventual projects are likely to be between four and 20 units, with building heights ranging mostly from one to three stories. Architects are being asked to design for multiple homes on one lot, but competition organizers want them to do so while giving eventual homeowners access to the outdoors, natural light and a 'comfortable relationship with neighbors.' Cuff said she hopes the design competition and subsequent building on city lots will show developers they can make money doing the same thing on land that's now privately owned. She also hopes it will show the general public that Los Angeles doesn't have to rely on skyscrapers to grow. 'These projects I think will really demonstrate that living together, with slightly more households on a site, is going to be a pretty nice arraignment,' Cuff said.
