City eyes affordable housing in South LA at former printing plant

The city-owned property had been occupied by the Spanish language LA Opinion

Councilmember Curren D. Price, Jr. and 224 E. Washington Boulevard
Councilmember Curren D. Price, Jr. and 224 E. Washington Boulevard

Los Angeles is moving to create affordable housing in South L.A., on the property of a vacant printing facility.

The property at 224 E. Washington Boulevard, had been the printing plant for the Spanish language daily, La Opinion, until it moved out. The city has owned the property for nine years. Still facing an affordable housing shortage, officials are looking for different solutions.

Now, the City Council is expected vote Tuesday on whether to allocate $1.3 million to demolish the existing three buildings there. The property’s three lots total around 50,000 square feet.

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Council member Curren D. Price Jr. proposed the measure. Price’s motion notes the demolition is “associated with a future affordable housing development,” but doesn’t elaborate.

The city has proposed a number of ways to reduce the number of homeless, which is roughly 58,000. Those measures include building temporary shelters on city property. The first of those shelters opened last month Downtown. The city is also considering housing people in hotels.

The East Washington Boulevard property was last in the news in 2016, when Price and the L.A. Homeless Services Authority sought to repurpose the existing buildings into a temporary shelter for the homeless until permanent housing was built.