Rosemary bushes, lush Japanese maple trees and succulent plants in large planters welcome new residents and visitors to the Normadie Terrance Apartments, a new 66-unit affordable housing complex in the heart of Koreatown.
The 79,265-square-foot energy and environmentally efficient facility, is part of Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Ridley-Thomas’ ongoing effort to substantially increase the number of affordable housing units in the Second District. Since 2009, Chairman Ridley-Thomas has overseen and supported the construction and completion of 15 affordable housing complexes for low-income residents in the district with an additional seven housing developments currently underway.
All of the affordable housing complexes are contemporary standouts, including the Normandie Terrace Apartments, which occupies the whole city-block between Normandie and Mariposa Avenue. Units in the newest complex are furnished with energy saving kitchen appliances, hardwood flooring and granite counter tops. Families can meet and children play in the community room, a large space bursting with colorful artwork on its walls, or use the computer lab with free Internet access. Social services are located on the first floor where resume writing workshops and money management classes are held. In the upcoming months, tenants will also be able to learn about nutritional eating and domestic violence awareness.
The new apartments are a welcome change for Seung Hee Kang, 42, who use to live in a three-bedroom, low-income apartment near Chinatown with his family of four.
“I’m married with three-kids, one boy and two girls,” said Kang. “I liked where I lived before, but this is better. Living in the apartments here is very convenient because I’m Korean and the apartment is in Koreatown. We are able to walk to the Korean market, my daughter’s school is nearby and learning ballet at the nearby studio, and my church is nearby.”
Located less than a mile from the Metro train station at Wilshire Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, tenants have easy access to public transportation. The units are available for families earning approximately $17,400 to $57,660 per year. In addition, 33 of the units at the complex are designated for families earning less than $25,000 a year.
The John Stewart Company, one of the largest affordable housing providers in California, is managing the units. The company received more than 3,500 applications for a unit in Normandy Terrace from eager residents hoping to find an affordable and decent place to live.
“There is a great need for affordable housing in our county—one of the country’s most expensive areas in which to live,” said the supervisor. “This project stands as a shining example of what redevelopment can accomplish – a facility that is not only beautiful but includes amenities and services that will help tenants to thrive.”
For too many years, the Slauson corridor, which stretches from La Brea Avenue to Angeles Vista Boulevard, has been a thoroughfare not a destination. But residents of View Park, Windsor Hills and Ladera Heights long to turn this corridor into a neighborhood hub. The Slauson Corridor Revitalization Project, spearheaded by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Ridley-Thomas, includes plans to make the area more pedestrian friendly and a destination neighborhood hub for local merchants and community residents.
Now we need your help by voting for your favorite name:
Total Voters: 983
Loading …These names were the top vote getters on December 15th, when residents of these neighborhoods gathered for a stroll around the area to kick off the holidays, listen to some live jazz, patron local businesses, enjoy holiday treats and place their vote on the name they liked most. Many thanks to CJ’s Elegance and all of our local partners for making the event such a success!
The Slauson Holiday Stroll was the last in a series of creative engagement events hosted by Chairman Ridley-Thomas in partnership with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the local arts non-profit, LA Commons, which aims to identify and celebrate the unique and historic characteristics of the View Park, Windsor Hills and Ladera Heights neighborhoods. The information gathered at these events will be used by the environmental design firm, Sussman/Prejza, to develop a brand identity and some timely aesthetic improvements for this section of the Slauson corridor.
Please vote by January 25, 2013. The winning name and branding concept will be presented to the community in early 2013.
Not only is the new East Rancho Dominguez Library a bright light beckoning readers to browse through its bookshelves, it is now also the first building built by a Los Angeles County agency to receive one of the highest honors in environmental design.
The 7,200-square-foot library on East Rose Street and South Atlantic Ave. in unincorporated East Rancho Dominguez was recently granted a coveted LEED Platinum status from the U.S Green Building Council. The designation, decided on by a national committee of architects, designers and environmental experts, was given for the library’s design and eco-friendly construction including the use of solar panels, installation of water efficient facilities, drought resistant landscaping and its pedestrian friendly setting. By achieving the highest LEED status, the library which was completed in late October, stands as a national model of innovation, environmental stewardship and social responsibility that others can point to for inspiration. With so many concerns about climate change, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has taken the lead in ensuring new buildings in his 2nd district neighborhoods also reduce their carbon footprint. The library is only one example among dozens of new projects to “green” the 2nd District. The new library, which is home to 35,000 books, public computers with Wi-Fi Internet connection, a community room, homework study room and displays of public art, is the anchor in part of a community revitalization effort that will create a town center feel around the adjacent East Rancho Dominguez Park. With its bright blue, orange and fuchsia panels and welcoming drought-tolerant landscaping, the library is expected to become a hub for the community.
Next for Rancho Dominguez is the construction of a new $4.4 million senior and community center that will be built across the street from the new library at East Rancho Dominguez Park. That new center, will provide referrals for health care, mental health, employment services and other social and recreational services to approximately 1,200 residents, but it will also include a dining area, computer room, game room, fitness equipment and office space. Construction is set to begin in 2014.
“When residents walk by the new library and see the solar panels and preferred parking for electric vehicles, they are experiencing first-hand what it’s like to live in a more sustainable world,” said Supervisor and Board Chairman Ridley-Thomas. “Once they learn about the design features used for the library it will hopefully be a natural transition to begin using compact florescent light bulbs and drought tolerant landscaping at their own homes. Everyone can reduce their carbon footprint and this library shows people how they too can live a greener life.”
Can the Slauson Corridor a become destination instead of a pass-through area for traffic?
Yes. It can be a neighborhood jewel and a central city square like any other — perhaps with coffee shops, bookstores, shops and restaurants. Maybe a grocery store or a community center belongs on the stretch of Slauson reaching from Angeles Vista to La Brea. With creative planning and community support, the junction of some the city’s most well-to-do neighborhoods including View Park, Windsor Hills and Ladera Heights, can become a Larchmont Village or a Leimert Park. Who knows, maybe it becomes View Park Village or Windsor Hills Square.
The Office of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas is spearheading the Slauson Corridor Revitalization Project, which is striving to make a new vision for the neighborhood a reality. Task forces have been working to determine how best to significantly improve the quality of life for area residents. Streetscape improvements are already underway to make the corridor safer for pedestrians, in addition to cars. Students studying business, urban planning, and real estate at USC and UCLA are putting together proposals for the annual NAOIP Real Estate Challenge that focus on how to bring new development to the corridor. Also, last Sunday, residents expressed themselves creatively at the Mobile Mural Lab that was parked at Simply Wholesome. Participants drew and wrote down their ideas and memories about the communities surrounding the Slauson Corridor. The residents’ vision will help shape the work of Commons, the Leimert Park-based civic art non-profit, which has been tasked with helping community stakeholders identify the distinctive cultural assets that characterize the Slauson Corridor. After two “branding” meetings over the course of the next six weeks, the organization will create a vision plan that will help guide the development of public improvements, branding and economic development for the neighborhood.
On December 3, the Department of Public Works, in coordination with the Public Improvements Taskforce, hosted the first meeting on the Environmental Impact Report for the Slauson Ave Streetscape at the Junior Blind. The public comment period to weigh in with feedback and concerns runs through December 15.
L.A. Commons will host a final branding meeting and community event celebrating the work done to re-imagine the corridor and showcasing local businesses on Saturday, December 15 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. along the Slauson Corridor. Click here to download the flyer.
The Grand opening of the new East Rancho Dominguez library, located on the corner of East Rose Street and South Atlantic Avenue, took place Monday, October 29.
With a collection of 35,000 books and other materials, the 7,200 square-foot facility is a full-fledged community resource, boasting a community room, reading areas, a homework center, public access computers, a meeting room, group study space, and public access Wi-Fi internet connection. The new library also is home to a unique piece of civic art designed by Elizabeth Griffin and consisting of six, 13-foot high laminated glass panels with colorful depictions of maps, library books and photographs.
Lastly, the library is also an environmental standout, built using solar energy panels that will offset the facility’s annual energy
Click hear to view the Media Advisory for the opening of East Rancho Dominguez Library
Click here to download the flyer as a PDF document.
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