Bridge Housing tapped to develop South LA mixed-use complex

Affordable home developer Bridge Housing Corporation has been chosen to build the residential and retail portions of a mixed-use development in South Los Angeles.

L.A. County tapped Bridge Housing, which will construct a 180-apartment building at the long-vacant lot at Vermont and Manchester avenues, according to Curbed. It will also develop around 62,000 square feet of commercial space at the four-acre site. Proposed commercial tenants include a grocery store, restaurant, retail shops, and an occupational training center run by Metro.

Bridge Housing’s proposal was selected out of a group of six. The developer is partnering with Coalition for Responsible Community Development and Primestor Development.

The development will also include a public boarding school, transit plaza, and bus transfer center. Developers for those portions have not been named.

L.A. County seized the vacant lot earlier this year through eminent domain after former owner Eli Sasson’s plans fell through for a high-end retail development. Sasson has owned the property since a swap meet was burned down there in 1992.

San Francisco-based Bridge Housing and L.A. County still need to hammer out some details about the project, but the developer wants to set aside 125 units for tenants making between 40 and 60 percent of area median income, according to Curbed. Another 55 units are planned to be set aside for homeless residents. Support services are also planned. Units will range from studio to three-bedrooms. [Curbed] – Dennis Lynch