Kids & Family
New Affordable Housing is Coming to Hollywood
Officials hold groundbreaking ceremony for "The Gordon."
Local officials and developers on Monday broke ground for a new affordable housing complex called The Gordon.
Located at 1555 North Gordon St., The Gordon is a more than $9 million project, according to Rushmore Cervantes, interim general manager for the Los Angeles Housing Department.
The project is being developed by Frank Fonseca and Mark Walther who are both principals at American Communities.
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Construction is scheduled to be completed by July 2013.
The Gordon will be a LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Gold certified building. The project is “highly energy efficient,” according to architect Richard Prantis of PSL Architects.
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"The building takes its design cues from the neighborhood,” Prantis said. “The building is inspired by the look of the neighborhood.”
As a result, pitched roofs and balconies with wooden rails are among the features that will be incorporated into the 21-unit complex.
City Councilman Eric Garcetti said The Gordon will be beneficial to the entire community.
“Hollywood for a long time and for many generations has represented the very best in us, but for a long time we had a disconnection between the neighborhood of Hollywood and the aspirations of Hollywood,” Garcetti said. “It is projects like this that bring those things together.”
He and other supporters of the project at the ceremony say it will bring not only affordable housing to the area but also create jobs. Even a heckler from an apartment building next door couldn’t dampen the mood of those who showed up in support of the project.
“This is a very unique area of the city, the heart of Hollywood is down the street,” Fonseca said. “There were old, dilapidated buildings here before.”
When construction is complete, the complex will consist of three-bedroom, two-bedroom and one-bedroom apartments. The units will range in size from 603 square-feet up to 1,140 square-feet.
The project will also feature a central courtyard with landscaping, a community area on the first floor and underground parking.
