L.A’s Westlake Poised for More Affordable Housing

The area surrounding MacArthur Park is in need of affordable housing, and one project looks to meet that demand with the redevelopment of a surface parking lot a block from the Westlake park.

A developer is seeking to construct a seven-story building with 114 one-bedroom apartments at 212 West Eighth Street and 751-757 South Alvarado Street, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. The proposal also calls for 5,200 square feet of ground-floor retail and parking for six vehicles.

The applicant is Alvarado Center LLC, an entity whose address is linked in state business records to a Torrance dental office associated with Alireza Movassaghi. Movassaghi is also tied to Alvarado Family Dental Center at 811 South Alvarado Street, across the street from the proposed development site.

Of the 114 units, all but one would be set aside for affordable housing, with the remaining residence designated as a manager’s unit. The median home price in Westlake approached $820,000 in March, up almost 15 percent year-over-year, according to Redfin.

The development would rise one block south of the Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro station, which is slated to receive a large mixed-use complex in the coming years.

Last month, the City of Los Angeles approved plans from Walter J. Company and L.A. Metro for Centro Westlake, which would consist of 668 apartments across two tall towers, including 234 set aside for affordable housing, as well as a 300-room hotel, 105,000 square feet of general-use offices, 10,000 square feet of medical offices, 56,700 square feet of retail space and parking for 968 vehicles.

Affordable housing has become an increasingly popular option for developers in Los Angeles.

L.A. ranked among the top 10 cities nationwide that have been building affordable housing in recent years, according to RentCafe. Developers completed 9,406 income-restricted apartments between 2020 and 2024, accounting for roughly 20.5 percent of all apartment construction in Greater Los Angeles in that time and marking a 79.5 percent increase compared to the previous five-year period between 2015 and 2019.

— Chris Malone Méndez