San Pedro will move toward higher density with the City of Los Angeles Planning Commission granting key entitlements to a trio of affordable housing developers to supplant a longstanding public housing project near the Port of Los Angeles.
The project calls for the redevelopment of Rancho San Pedro, which covers nine square blocks in the district at the southern extreme of L.A., connected to the city by a thin corridor that runs from South L.A. along the Harbor Freeway. The 20 or so acres are west of Harbor Boulevard and run from 1st Street to 3rd Street — San Pedro has its own street grid independent of the rest of the city.
Developers on the project are Richman Group, National CORE and Century Housing, Urbanize Los Angeles reported.
Rancho San Pedro goes back to the 1940s and now includes 478 residences. The redevelopment would bring more than 1,500 new residences, with about two-thirds of them set aside at affordable rental rates, with about 130,000 square feet of commercial space and 5 acres of parks.
The developers also have acquired a nearby parcel and plan a 47-unit apartment building that would initially serve as housing for tenants displaced during the redevelopment of Rancho San Pedro. The project would proceed in phases over a period of 10 to 15 years, according to the developers.
The City of Los Angeles has some experience working with developers on its portfolio of public housing, including renovations or redevelopment of the Dana Strand complex in the Wilmington district and the Jordan Downs in Watts.