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Housing project for homeless vets gets pushback
LA councilman opposes Chatsworth development’s price tag, neighbors against proximity to school
A 55-unit Chatsworth housing project for homeless military veterans isn’t too popular with the local councilman and from neighbors, who are criticizing its price tag and oppose its proximity to an elementary school.
Los Angeles City Councilman John Lee introduced a motion to pull the $8.3 million in bond money awarded to Affirmed Housing’s Lumina development, slated for 10243 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The motion argues the money should be reserved for a project that can deliver more units at a lower cost. As an example, Lee pointed to a 100-unit proposal for a nearby site that is estimated to cost around $10 million.
But Lumina’s location appears to be a driving factor behind neighbor opposition, according to the report. It would rise near an elementary school, as well as single-family housing. Overall, Lee’s constituency appears divided on the project. When a protest opposing it sprang up in 2019, it was soon met with counter protest, according to the report. At the time, Lee said he opposed its location.
That same year, the city approved the money for that project and others through the $1.2 billion Proposition HHH bond. Lee asked his colleagues to delay a vote on the funding, but ultimately voted in favor of the wider package to fund affordable housing construction, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.