LOS ANGELES — An affordable housing developer in Venice is racing against the clock to gain approval for its latest housing project before the end of the year.
City officials called on Venice Community Housing and Hollywood Community Housing to develop a mixed-use, 140-unit affordable housing building for Venice’s homeless community, as well as its low-income residents — with a portion of the units designated for residents who are artists.
But the developers say they are facing delays from the city attorney’s office and Councilmember Traci Park’s office, as well as a lawsuit from the Coalition for Safe Coastal Development, which is made up of residents living near the Venice canals.
In the lawsuit, the residents allege that the city-owned parking lot where Venice Community Housing plans to build the Venice Dell Community is the last open space in their coastal neighborhood and that the parking study the developers conducted in order to complete the project was flawed.
Spectrum News reached out to City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto’s office for comment, but they said due to pending litigation, they could not respond. Councilmember Traci Park’s office also cited the pending litigation and said they are looking into outstanding concerns about the project, but they didn’t specify the concerns.
Lupe Garcia, who works at a shelter in Venice for single mothers and families who were previously homeless, said the sooner this project is built, the sooner it can change lives.
“It all first starts out with stability. They have a stable place to eat, sleep, enroll their children into school, look for housing look for job opportunities,” Garcia said.
It’s a sentiment Becky Dennison, the executive director at Venice Community Housing, shares as well.
“Every month that goes by, we miss an opportunity to get to the next stage,” Dennison said.
VCH has until the end of September, or at the very latest, the end of October, to get approval for the project from the Coastal Commission, otherwise they’re looking at more delays.
“We have folks living on our streets and sidewalks that need us to get these projects to completion and move people in, and also this is a project that the city itself initiated," Dennison said. "They asked us to partner, and we deserve to be treated as that partner.”
That’s why VCH is now pleading with LA Mayor Karen Bass to step in and grant them approval through another means, by working directly with the city’s department of transportation, LADOT. In a statement to Spectrum News, Bass’s office said:
“Mayor Bass believes we need more affordable housing to be built in all areas of the city, including in Venice. The Mayor has directed City departments to continue coordinating with the developer on the Venice Dell project’s needs.”
In the meantime, Lupe Garcia, who has seen firsthand the benefits of a housing-first approach to homelessness, says she’s hoping the city can find a solution soon.
“With this new building, it’s honestly just 140 new opportunities for people,” Garcia said.