Wednesday evening, Metro officials shared its housing vision via a virtual community meeting, planning to take underutilized Metro-owned properties and through collaboration with communities and private developers, build "transit-oriented development" aimed at a range of income levels. A Request for Proposals (RFP) to developers will be released this coming Winter season, with negotiations between Metro and a selected developer set for early 2025.
Having worked through its Joint Development program to develop a bevy of sites already, the 17th/SMC project is part of Metro’s 10,000 Home Commitment, a plan to have 10,000 units (5,000 affordable) by 2031. So far, 2,362 units have been completed, 930 of those affordable.
"As part of our effort to bring more complete, equitable, transit-oriented communities to Los Angeles, we also build housing on our vacant and underutilized Metro property, and we’ve been doing it for some time, but in the last several years, we really have honed our focus on housing, and we’ve adopted our informal tagline and mission to build as much housing as possible, as quickly as possible, for those who need it most," Metro Joint Development Deputy Executive Officer Wells Lawson said.
The development, which according to the Metro website is slated for a unit range of 275-380, is planned to be built over four parcels of land just south of Colorado Ave. between 16th and 18th Street Metro Joint Development Principal Transportation Planner Mica O’Brien presented the outline for development space, with no building details to be shared until a developer is chosen.
O’Brien stated that the easternmost parcel on the corner of Colorado and 18th is an underutilized Metro Park and Ride lot with 65 parking stalls, which she added was underutilized due to roughly 90% of transit riders arriving at the station by means other than a car.
The largest parcel is currently leased to Crossroads Elementary School for bus and car parking, as well as carpool pickup and drop-off. The remaining parcels between 16th and 17th Street, O’Brien noted, were "vacant in terms of transit."
Out of the over 400 responses received by Metro thus far, the potential need to keep parking available for local destinations like Crossroads and SMC was one of the top concerns. Wells stated that there is consideration to include that any RFP should include "at least 100" of "community spaces" that can supplement any parking space loss from development.
He added that the plan is to require RFPs to "prepare a plan" that would continue to provide for safe access to the schools and other local spots.
"We’re going to make sure that the developers come forward with a plan that includes those pickup and drop-off facilities for the cars and buses, and the walk, bike and roll kind of means to getting to areas … we will be selecting a developer that has the chops to manage that," Wells said.
For questions related to the would-be residents of such a development, Wells said he is not sure about the percentage of affordable units yet or the background of any future unit occupiers, but that Metro policy prioritizes income-restricted housing. Demographic data taken by the organization found that within a mile of the 17th/SMC station, 45% of the population is rent-burdened, meaning spending more than 30% of monthly income on rent.
The data also showed that 95% of housing in the area is occupied, with O’Brien adding that they know "low residential vacancy drives up rent," adding to the goal of creating housing "for those who need it most."
"Given the incomes and housing cost burdens in the area, we see this site as having the potential to address some of the challenges that area residents are facing," O’Brien said.
After a developer is chosen for the site, the developer-led public engagement period will begin in Spring 2025, followed by Metro Board considering a recommendation of the project in early 2026. If all financing for the project is secured, construction would be slated to begin in early 2027.
For those that missed the community meeting, a community input survey is currently available here.
thomas@smdp.com
