LOS ANGELES-Two new multifamily projects in the Los Angeles area, one just opening and one getting under way, span the spectrum from affordable housing for the homeless to luxury units renting for $2,200 to $3,400. The two projects, among a host of apartment developments reported on lately on GlobeSt.com, illustrate how the multifamily sector―although construction has tailed off sharply in the economic downturn―remains one of the most active in terms of new developments.

The new project that is just getting under way is a 196-unit, $34.9 million development called Westside Residence II in Inglewood that is being developed by Cloudbreak Inglewood LLC to provide affordable housing for homeless veterans. The 196 units will include 48 single-room-occupancy units that share a common living and dining area, and 148 studio apartments.

The project that will make its debut is Empire Landing, a 276-unit transit-oriented development by Los Angeles-based Casden Properties in the Burbank Media District that will open for first move-ins on Aug. 1. Among other unusual features at Empire Landing will be units of three and four bedrooms with attached garages.

Westside Residence Hall II, which will join the original Westside Residence Hall built in 1993, is one of the first programs to launch with financing from the Caliornia Tax Exchange Credit Programs, notes Tim Cantwell, manager of Cloudbreak Inglewood LLC and president of Westside Residence Hall Inc. Funding for the new project includes $19.9 million from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee through the American Recovery Reinvestment Act, $7.5 million from the California Housing & Development Infill Infrastructure Program, $7.4 million from the City of Inglewood Redevelopment Agency and $11 million in bridge funding from Wilshire State Bank.

Westside Residence developer Cloudbreak Inglewood is one of the Cantwell-Anderson Inc. family of companies, which focuses on special needs housing development. Its Westside Residence units offer services provided by the nonprofit US VETS, the Veterans Administration and other nonprofit and governmental agencies including the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and Inglewood Adult School. Cloudbreak has 1,010 permanent housing units and 160 program beds, with a cost exceeding $130 million, under development in Inglewood, Compton, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Hawaii.

Casden's Empire Landing project is situated on seven acres at the corner of Buena Vista Street and Empire Avenue. It is within walking distance of the Bob Hope Airport Metrolink station, close to the I-5 and I-134 freeways and close to several movie studios, downtown Burbank and the Burbank Town Center.

The apartments include units of one and two bedrooms ranging from 760 square feet to 1,140 square feet, as well as the three- and four-bedroom units, which are private live/work townhomes ranging from 1,120 to 1,585 square feet, with attached two-car garages. There also are 28 affordable flats that have been pre-leased.

Alan Casden, CEO of Casden Properties, cites the location and amenities of the project among the features that will appeal to prospective renters. In addition to transit connections that will translate to short commutes, Empire Landing is within a short walk of the 900,000-square-foot open-air Burbank Empire Center; a two-acre park, Kid's Castle, and public recreation center are immediately adjacent.

The low-rise complex offers "resort-style living with recreational amenities and resident services and is fully gated with a guard-staffed entry," according to a project announcement. It also includes 1,000 square feet of retail space that will be filled shops designed to serve residents.

Designed by Johannes Van Tilburg, the new complex features a 5,500-square-foot clubhouse, an executive business center, a conference room, a fitness center, a swimming pool with sun deck and spa. A resident services staff member is on site to assist residents with a variety of needs such as pick-up and drop off of dry cleaning and laundry; housekeeping arrangements; daycare; pet-sitting and dog walking; couriers, FedEx, UPS and a range of other services.

The projects by Casden and Cloudbreak join a host of multifamily developments either under way or planned in Southern California that range from affordable apartments to for-sale condominiums. As reported recently on GlobeSt.com, a sampling of these includes a series of projects totaling 900 units that range from the conversion of a Downtown Los Angeles hotel to 151 units of single-room-occupancy housing to brand-new luxury apartments and a ground-up condominium development in West Los Angeles.

Yet another project on the boards is a new 70-unit affordable housing development in Buena Park that has just been approved by the city council there. The new projects are an indication that, while construction remains stalled in some sectors because of the recession, notably the office market, multifamily has managed to maintain some building momentum.