LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2022—The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has partnered with East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) and BRIDGE Housing Corporation to break ground on the Los Lirios Apartments near the Soto Metro L Line (Gold) Station in Boyle Heights. The new joint development will bring much needed additional affordable housing to the Boyle Heights community.
Los Lirios will consist of five stories and 64 new studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, including 63 affordable units for formerly homeless and low-income individuals and households earning between 30 and 50 percent of the Area Median Income. There will be one manager’s unit above 2,443 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The project will deliver other improvements to the public plaza, including additional seating and shade to enhance the transit customer experience. The development is expected to be completed in 2023.
New developments like Los Lirios built on Metro-owned land near its transit stops helps families reduce their two largest household expenses – housing and transportation. The new development is expected to provide critically needed affordable housing for those who need it the most, including local transit-dependent residents and the unhoused. These projects help local communities thrive by addressing the needs of their most vulnerable populations by using public land to help alleviate the extreme shortage of affordable housing within Los Angeles County.
“The housing crisis in Boyle Heights and throughout Los Angeles County is so critical that we need all the tools we can lay our hands on to meet the demand,” said Metro Board Chair and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. “Developing housing on Metro-owned land is making a difference and we will continue working towards our goal of developing 5,000 affordable units by 2031.”
“Los Lirios will help address what this city desperately needs – affordable housing units,” said L.A. City Councilmember Kevin de León. “Building affordable and permanent supportive housing are proven methods to keep people off the streets. The partnership with East LA Community Corporation, BRIDGE Housing and Metro will help those who are struggling with access to opportunity and recover from the economic fallout the pandemic has brought to so many people of color in Los Angeles.”
“Collaborative developments like Los Lirios will help Boyle Heights maintain its rich history of vibrancy and diversity,” said ELACC CEO Monica Mejia. “We are thrilled to be working with Metro and BRIDGE Housing to bring innovative, affordable housing options to Los Angeles neighborhoods, positively impacting and supporting the city’s most underserved residents.”
Metro’s ability to structure the public land transaction at Los Lirios was pivotal to achieve the policy goals of all parties involved and to help alleviate the shortage of affordable housing facing Los Angeles County. Funding was awarded from Los Angeles City Housing Department’s HHH and Affordable Housing Trust Fund programs to provide housing for formerly homeless and low income individuals; Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles; California HCD’s Transit Oriented Housing Program to increase public transit ridership by funding higher density affordable housing developments within one-quarter mile of transit stations; California Tax Credit Allocation Committee; California Community Reinvestment Corporation; Federal HOME funds; Wells Fargo Bank and predevelopment funding by Genesis LA.
“We are so excited to be partnering with Metro and ELACC on this transformative development,” said BRIDGE Housing President and CEO Ken Lombard. “Innovative partnerships like ours allow us to build quality affordable housing that strengthens communities and enables residents to stabilize their lives and thrive.”
Metro’s Joint Development sites are a gateway to the Metro transit system and hold unique potential to advance community development goals while attracting new riders to the Metro system. In June 2021, the Metro Board of Directors adopted an updated Joint Development Policy with a mandate to build as much affordable housing near transit for those who need it most, as soon as possible.
“We need more transit-oriented affordable housing like Los Lirios throughout the region, to improve the lives of the most vulnerable among us,” said Metro CEO Stephanie N. Wiggins. “These projects help families reduce the two largest household expenses – housing and transportation. I look forward to helping build more projects like Los Lirios, which will make transit use more convenient and affordable, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and enhancing quality of life for all of us.”
This year, 300 affordable housing units have begun construction on Metro-owned land, adding to the 2,200 units in Metro’s portfolio. The agency’s joint development efforts help reduce auto use and increase transit ridership by directly linking Metro’s transportation network with employment, retail, commercial, and housing opportunities. For additional project information, please visit https://www.metro.net/about/joint_dev_pgm/.
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