The City’s future affordable housing landscape near the 17th Street/Santa Monica College Metro Station is beginning to take shape, with four development teams submitting plans to transform surface parking lots along Colorado Avenue into new residential communities.
According to Metro’s project website, the available parcels span roughly 182,000 square feet of land, currently occupied by a park-and-ride facility and other uses adjacent to the station. The properties sit on the south side of Colorado Avenue, flanking either side of 17th Street. Metro anticipates selecting a development team later this year, with construction potentially starting by 2027.
The four proposals offer a range of designs, unit counts and affordability levels, reflecting both Metro’s affordable housing goals and Santa Monica’s broader efforts to address its ongoing housing shortage.
Homegrown nonprofit developer Community Corporation of Santa Monica, in partnership with Mithun Architects, submitted a proposal for three buildings totaling 347 residential units. The housing breakdown includes:
• 156 units for renters earning 30 percent of Area Median Income (AMI)
• 111 units for renters earning up to 60 percent of AMI
• 73 units for renters earning up to 80 percent of AMI
• 7 unrestricted units
Community Corp’s plan would also provide 101 units of permanent supportive housing and 87 accessible units. Additional features include 3,574 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, 17,900 square feet of community space, 20,000 square feet of open space and parking for approximately 260 vehicles.
In a move that sets this proposal apart, Community Corp would combine an additional parcel to the south at 1625 17th Street, currently owned by the Crossroads School. Prefabricated modular units are proposed for the construction to streamline costs and accelerate delivery. Community Corp recently broke ground on another affordable housing project just a few blocks east on 20th Street.
West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, working with EYRC Architects, proposed building 281 homes across three structures. The units would be distributed as follows:
• 59 units at 30 percent AMI
• 25 units at 50 percent AMI
• 46 units at 60 percent AMI
• 147 units at 80 percent AMI
• 4 unrestricted units
The development would reserve 59 units for individuals with physical, mental or developmental disabilities and would also offer 81 accessible units and 48 units designated for workforce housing.
Other components include 7,322 square feet of community space, 4,885 square feet of retail, 47,000 square feet of open space, 3,300 square feet of office space and parking for 156 vehicles. Prefabricated modular construction would also be used to reduce costs and construction timelines.
Bridge Housing and Steinberg Hart Architects presented a proposal that would deliver 324 homes, including:
• 69 units at 30 percent AMI
• 7 units at 40 percent AMI
• 130 units at 50 percent AMI
• 118 units at 60 percent AMI
The Bridge Housing plan would provide 49 accessible units and 69 units specifically for individuals with disabilities. Like other respondents, Bridge proposes to use prefabricated modular units for efficiency and sustainability.
Decro Corporation and Alliant Communities, with design work led by KFA Architecture, submitted the fourth proposal. Their plan would create 180 total units, divided into:
• 54 units at 30 percent AMI
• 18 units at 50 percent AMI
• 106 units at 60 percent AMI
• 2 unrestricted units
Plans also call for 4,800 square feet of community space, 1,200 square feet of retail space, 18,000 square feet of open space and parking for 210 vehicles. Unlike the other three submissions, this proposal would utilize podium-style construction rather than modular techniques.
The Santa Monica sites are among 17 properties Metro identified last year as priority housing opportunity sites across Los Angeles County. The agency’s Joint Development Program aims to create thousands of new homes on Metro-owned land, with a particular focus on delivering deeply affordable housing near transit stations.
Under Metro’s guidelines, all new developments on these priority sites must dedicate at least 50 percent of new homes to households earning 60 percent of AMI or below. Several sites, including the 17th Street/SMC parcels, are expected to exceed that minimum threshold substantially.
Metro officials say the 17th Street/SMC project represents a unique opportunity to combine housing, transit access and community-serving amenities in an area where land availability is extremely limited.
Selection of a developer is expected following a detailed evaluation process. Final plans would be subject to public review, local permitting and environmental assessments before construction begins.
