LOS ANGELES—It is no secret that the local community has pushed back against the development boom in the last year, but not all projects are getting flack from Angelenos. PATH Metro Villas, a supportive community with housing for the homeless and low-income individuals in Rampart Village, a neighborhood adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, got no pushback from the community. Developed by PATH Ventures and Affirmed Housing and designed by KFA Architects, the 6-story, 54,740-square-foot property has 187 apartment units, clinical services, including a veteran's center, case management offices, a community room, rooftop decks, bicycle storage space and laundry facilities. Because putting affordable projects together can be challenging, we sat down with Lise Bornstein, a partner at KFA Architects, to find out more about the project and how they approach affordable design.
GlobeSt.com: What was it like to build a low-incomes housing community in terms of challenges or opportunities in Los Angeles?
Lise Bornstein: There is such a great need for this type of housing in the area, that there was no opposition. The area has had a long history of people in need of homes. Permanent supportive housing at this site serves a great need in this neighborhood. Large encampments have sprung up in this area of the city over the last several years, and providing homes will help to alleviate homelessness and create stability in the neighborhood. The PATH Metro Villas project is located along the 101 Freeway, between Vermont and Hoover, north of Beverly Blvd.
GlobeSt.com: How is your design approach different for affordable than market-rate living?
Bornstein: We approach affordable housing in a holistic way by enriching and diversifying the communal spaces shared by residents. The PATH Campus is designed to address isolation by designing a diverse array of spaces where people can gather and feel included, safe and at home. The Town Square concept creates a vital heart to the site becoming the outdoor living area for the site.
GlobeSt.com: What was your vision for the project?
Bornstein: The original PATH Mall was created to pair much needed supportive housing with on-site social services all in one place. The new campus expands upon this original client driven vision to increase the social services and organize them around a Town Square. This communal area serves as a shared open space where employees, residents and visitors can find a quiet moment, or a large open venue where the neighborhood community can gather. The new project will be built around the PATH Town Square, which builds on the original concept and will add new services such as a medical clinic, vocational services and VASH veteran counseling. Surrounding the Town Square, 3 new buildings add permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals take advantage of the convenient access to services and support. The existing building, with the PATH Mall, was created to provide housing together with social services in one place. We wanted to create a community-based support system with homes. Additional residential amenities include community and residential-based outdoor opportunities where people can gather, host events, enjoy quiet places sitting outside, lounge on rooftop desks and spend time in shared community spaces.
GlobeSt.com: What has the response been like from the community?
Bornstein: The project has been embraced by the City, the neighborhood and affordable housing community proponents.
LOS ANGELES—It is no secret that the local community has pushed back against the development boom in the last year, but not all projects are getting flack from Angelenos. PATH Metro Villas, a supportive community with housing for the homeless and low-income individuals in Rampart Village, a neighborhood adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, got no pushback from the community. Developed by PATH Ventures and Affirmed Housing and designed by KFA Architects, the 6-story, 54,740-square-foot property has 187 apartment units, clinical services, including a veteran's center, case management offices, a community room, rooftop decks, bicycle storage space and laundry facilities. Because putting affordable projects together can be challenging, we sat down with Lise Bornstein, a partner at KFA Architects, to find out more about the project and how they approach affordable design.
GlobeSt.com: What was it like to build a low-incomes housing community in terms of challenges or opportunities in Los Angeles?
Lise Bornstein: There is such a great need for this type of housing in the area, that there was no opposition. The area has had a long history of people in need of homes. Permanent supportive housing at this site serves a great need in this neighborhood. Large encampments have sprung up in this area of the city over the last several years, and providing homes will help to alleviate homelessness and create stability in the neighborhood. The PATH Metro Villas project is located along the 101 Freeway, between Vermont and Hoover, north of Beverly Blvd.
GlobeSt.com: How is your design approach different for affordable than market-rate living?
Bornstein: We approach affordable housing in a holistic way by enriching and diversifying the communal spaces shared by residents. The PATH Campus is designed to address isolation by designing a diverse array of spaces where people can gather and feel included, safe and at home. The Town Square concept creates a vital heart to the site becoming the outdoor living area for the site.
GlobeSt.com: What was your vision for the project?
Bornstein: The original PATH Mall was created to pair much needed supportive housing with on-site social services all in one place. The new campus expands upon this original client driven vision to increase the social services and organize them around a Town Square. This communal area serves as a shared open space where employees, residents and visitors can find a quiet moment, or a large open venue where the neighborhood community can gather. The new project will be built around the PATH Town Square, which builds on the original concept and will add new services such as a medical clinic, vocational services and VASH veteran counseling. Surrounding the Town Square, 3 new buildings add permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals take advantage of the convenient access to services and support. The existing building, with the PATH Mall, was created to provide housing together with social services in one place. We wanted to create a community-based support system with homes. Additional residential amenities include community and residential-based outdoor opportunities where people can gather, host events, enjoy quiet places sitting outside, lounge on rooftop desks and spend time in shared community spaces.
GlobeSt.com: What has the response been like from the community?
Bornstein: The project has been embraced by the City, the neighborhood and affordable housing community proponents.
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