WHCHC is pleased to announce the development of its first apartment community in the City of Los Angeles, in partnership with The Stovall Foundation, The Stovall Housing Corporation, and Waset, Inc.

An excited gathering of Stovall Foundation residents, friends, funders and sponsors celebrated the long-awaited Stovall Villa Beam Signing Ceremony on a gorgeous July morning. Designed by architect John Mutlow, Stovall Villa will provide 32 units of low-income housing for older adults 62 years and above.

Scheduled for completion in 2011, Stovall Villa will transform a surface parking lot into a vibrant, residential apartment building adjacent to Stovall Terrace, its “sister” older adult community, built in 1985 by the Stovall Housing Corporation. Thus this new development will include subterranean parking for both the Terrace and Villa apartments in the same location, providing more security for residents and enhancing the neighborhood streetscape.

Residents of Stovall Villa will enjoy a high proportion of common outdoor space for a project of this size. The existing interior courtyard of Stovall Terrace will be “completed” by Stovall Villa, creating an ovular walkway that will connect the outdoor patios of the two projects. Residents from both buildings will be able to enjoy this secluded garden space that is sheltered from street noise.

Hayworth House, a sprawling 1950s apartment complex in West Hollywood, was purchased by WHCHC in May of this year with assistance from the City of West Hollywood. This is a tremendous opportunity to provide affordable housing that will enhance the community and maintain vibrant, thriving urban neighborhoods.

The apartments were purchased in 2003 by a developer and slated for demolition after approvals were acquired for a new, 50 unit luxury apartment complex. All the tenants were evicted (many of them low income seniors) and the building sat vacant for over five years, awaiting a development that did not happen. During that period, vandals and others did quite a bit of damage to the neglected property, much to the dismay of neighbors.

Project Overview

Developer: West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (WHCHC)

Since starting operations in 1987, WHCHC has partnered with the City of West Hollywood to secure Federal, State, County and private funding for the construction of very low- and low-income projects in West Hollywood. One third of WHCHC's apartments are occupied by seniors on fixed minimal incomes, another third house disabled persons, including many people living with HIV/AIDS, and the remaining units are occupied by families and individuals with limited incomes.

Sierra Bonita Apartments At A Glance

• 5-story mixed-use with non-profit commercial space on the ground floor and affordable residential units above
• 42 one bedroom affordable housing units for the disabled
• Every unit will be fully adaptable as needed
• Every unit includes wiring for high-speed internet access
• Energy-efficient appliances (including ovens, refrigerators, and disposals)
• Four units will be fully accessible with roll-in showers
• Subterranean parking for 29 cars for the use of the residents
• Outdoor common area (courtyard garden) at second level
• Outdoor common areas (roof deck gardens) at the fifth level
• Private outdoor space for the residents with designated storage
• Community Room Mail Room, Bike Storage Retail/Office suites along Santa Monica Boulevard (for non-profit businesses)
• On-grade covered parking for 13 cars for commercial and visitor parking needs

Environmentally Sound Green Building Features for Sustainability

• Sierra Bonita Apartments is a pilot project for West Hollywood’s Green Building Ordinance.
• Passive solar design strategies are used, including north/south orientation; window design for maximum daylight; maximizing natural ventilation.
• A solar electric panel system is integrated into the façade and roof of the building that will supply most of the peak load electricity demand for the common areas. The panels are integral to the building envelope and the unused solar electricity will be delivered to the grid.
• The HVAC design provides split system heat pumps for heating and cooling to each unit, retail spaces and community rooms. Individual fan coil unit provided for each of the spaces.
• High efficiency air conditioning units for each unit; insulation and selection of performance glazing will further reduce energy usage.
• Hot water for all units is provided by a solar-powered hot water heating system. · A “cool” roof utilizing a high reflectance single-ply roofing membrane

Landscaping

The landscape design for Sierra Bonita has been developed to beautify and enhance the outdoor experiences of residents and the West Hollywood community at large. Highly drought tolerant low maintenance plant materials have been selected, resistant to the urban conditions of exhausts, dust, foot traffic; submerged drip irrigation system; existing street trees are preserved and incorporated into the building's planting design. Second and Upper Level Plantings include bamboo clusters for shaded internal courtyard area with groundcovers that can grow efficiently with a submerged irrigation system. Upper deck area planters with deciduous vines to grow under the solar canopy, equipped with a "self-watering" tank irrigation system.

Construction details

• Construction Type: New, Podium
• Resident Population: Disabled · Developer: West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation
• Primary Service Providers: Jewish Family Services, Aids Project Los Angeles
• Architect: Tighe Architecture · General Contractor: Parker/Sarg Industries

Funding

Permanent Financing:

• City of West Hollywood
• County of Los Angeles
• CA Tax Credit Allocation Committee
• National Equity Fund
• CA Dept. of Housing and Community Development Multifamily Housing Program
• Affordable Housing Program of the FHL Bank
• Estimated Cost: $20.3 million

For more information please contact:
West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation
(323) 650-8771
Please visit our web site: www.WHCHC.org

Constructed in 1923, the 8-unit courtyard complex represents the bungalow style characteristic of early 20th century worker housing built in West Hollywood.

Harper Community’s strikingly contemporary three-story building contains 4 two-bedroom and 18 one-bedroom apartments of new construction.  Features include a central courtyard, a large community room, computer room and library, and a laundry area with adjoining patio.  Each unit also has a large private balcony.

This site, on the city’s west side, contained two “modified craftsman” style buildings, circa 1915, which were designated culturally and historically significant by the City of West Hollywood.

Built simultaneously with the Detroit Senior project, WHCHC’s Detroit Family Apartments include 10 units of family housing to serve low and very low-income residents.  There are 3 one-bedroom, 1-bath units; 4 two-bedroom, 1-bath units; and 3 three-bedroom, 2-bath units.