City Council Approves Rancho San Pedro Entitlements

The Los Angeles City Council has officially given the green light for the redevelopment of Rancho San Pedro near the Port of Los Angeles.

The One San Pedro Collaborative, a joint venture between Richman Group, National CORE, Century Housing and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, has secured its entitlements to breathe new life into the World War II-era housing development, Urbanize Los Angeles reported.

One San Pedro is pursuing a 20-year plan to triple the housing capacity at the Rancho San Pedro Housing Project. The complex serving low-income households currently houses hundreds of families in 478 units spread across two-story townhomes, stacked flats and one-story buildings. One San Pedro’s plans call for replacing the 478 existing residences with up to 1,553 new residential units, including 1,090 income-restricted affordable units.

Besides the dwellings, the redevelopment would include up to 130,000 square feet of commercial space and more than 5 acres of publicly accessible open space, per Urbanize. The project’s designers at SVA Architects, TCA Architects and City Fabrick envision multiple buildings across nine city blocks ranging in height from 60 to 180 feet.

Last year, One San Pedro began construction work on a 47-unit development nearby at 327 North Harbor Boulevard. That four-story building is designed to serve as replacement housing for residents displaced from Rancho San Pedro when that redevelopment gets underway.

Rancho San Pedro spans nearly 20 acres along First Street, Second Street and Third Street in San Pedro west of Harbor Boulevard. The City of Los Angeles has owned Rancho San Pedro for approximately 70 years, according to Urbanize.

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles’ partnership with Richman Group, National CORE and Century Housing is one of several endeavors where the city has teamed up with developers to expand its public housing facilities. Just north of San Pedro in Wilmington, Abode Communities and Mercy Housing California redeveloped another World War II-era housing development, Dana Strand. In Watts, HACLA tapped Bridge Housing and The Michaels Organization to redevelop the Jordan Downs community with more than double the number of housing units; that revitalization is currently in progress, according to HACLA’s website.

— Chris Malone Méndez