Virtual Groundbreaking for Venice Affordable Housing

Thursday virtual groundbreaking for Venice Community Housing’s Rose Apartment’s

By Sam Catanzaro

This week there will be a virtual groundbreaking for a 34-unit affordable housing project planned for Venice.

On Thursday, June 18 Venice Community Housing (VCH) will host a Zoom groundbreaking for the Rose Apartments project. At the groundbreaking, Executive Director Becky Dennison, the VCH housing team and current tenants and students will share their experiences with the organization.

With the Rose Apartments VCH is redeveloping what is currently their administrative offices at 718-720 Rose Avenue into the Rose Avenue Apartments. While bringing VCH new office space on the first floor, the centerpiece of this project is the inclusion of permanent supportive housing for 34 formerly homeless households. 50 percent of the housing would be for transitional aged youth, and 50 percent would be for those who have experienced chronic homelessness.

“Rose Apartments will help VCH continue to address the overwhelming need for permanent supportive housing for people who are experiencing homelessness or chronic homelessness, especially for those on the Westside of LA, one of the regions most under-served by permanent supportive housing development,” VCH writes on their website.

The proposal, designed by architecture firm Brooks + Scarpa, includes four one-bedroom units, 30 studio units, a large recreation room a laundry room, offices for supportive services and other staff and an open courtyard with greenery. Initial plans called for 2,573 square feet of office space but has been reduced to 1,885 square feet to incorporate all of the 17 required parking spaces onsite. In addition, VCH will continue to lease the seven parking spaces from Whole Foods across the street the organization has been renting since 2002.

The project was discussed by the Venice community during the December, 2019 Venice Neighborhood Council meeting. Supporters of the project spoke about the urgent need for youth housing in Venice, pointing out that over the past 20 years there has been no new affordable housing built in the area despite the gentrification that has occurred. Opponents expressed frustration that VCH has not consulted with nearby residents about the development while also raising concern about insufficient parking. Before voting on the proposal, the VNC discussed points from both supporters and opponents before approving the project with a 9-4-1 vote.

To RSVP to the groundbreaking and receive a Zoom participation link, email mbohan@vchcorp.org