Local elected officials are eyeing a parking lot in Chinatown as an opportunity site for a mixed-use affordable housing development, according to a motion introduced yesterday by Los Angeles City Councilmember Gil Cedillo.

The parking lot, located at 725 N. Spring Street, is owned by Los Angeles County.  Cedillo's office, in coordination with the County’s 1st Supervisorial District, has pitched the property as "a unique County-City joint development opportunity for a transit-oriented mixed-use affordable housing development."

According to Cedillo's motion, the property may benefit from its location in the Chinatown Redevelopment Project Area and the East Los Angeles State Enterprise Zone.  It is also located within 1,000 feet of Metro's Chinatown light rail station at the intersection of Spring and College Streets, making the site eligible for Transit Oriented Communities incentives.

The prospective project is envisioned as a "one hundred percent affordable housing" development, serving targeted incomes between the extremely low- and moderate-income levels.  Additionally, any proposal would be expected to include a community-serving component such as a cultural center.

Cedillo's motion, which instructs City staff to engage with the County on potential development strategies, has been referred to the City Council's Housing Committee for consideration.

A housing development at 725 N. Spring Street would follow on the heels of several other large multifamily residential projects in the Chinatown community, including the already-finished Blossom Plaza, an under-construction apartment building at 1101 N. Main Street, and the proposed College Station complex.

The County-owned property had previously been considered as a site for a parking garage to serve the now-cancelled Consolidated Central Treatment Facility.