A new affordable housing development is rising on a long-empty lot next to the A Line in the unincorporated community of Florence-Firestone.

Courtyard of AsterSeven Hundred

Aster, located on an L-shaped property at 1708 E. 61st Street, consists of a four-story structure which will feature 56 studio and one-bedroom apartments, as well as on-site supportive services, a laundry facility, and parking for 17 vehicles.

Khal Khaireddin Architects and Tina Chee Landscape Studio are designing the wood-frame apartment complex, which will be clad in materials including fiber cement panels and stucco.  Renderings depict a contemporary low-rise structure centered on a landscaped courtyard amenity space, with additional outdoor decks planned for the third and fourth floors of the building.

The project, which was approved by Los Angeles County in 2019, utilized density bonus incentives to achieve greater height and reductions to front- and rear-yard setback requirements.  The incentives allowed the apartment complex to be built with 56 units, rather than the 13 permitted by the property's zoning - a 325 percent increase in density.

Rendered view of Aster looking northeast from across A Line right-of-waySeven Hundred

Aster is the first development for the Los Angeles-based firm RxLA, which was founded by an alumnus of Skid Row Housing Trust.

The project, which is being financed with conventional debt and private equity, is on pace for completion by the end of 2021, reports the National Business Post.

The development site, which sits a half-mile south of the A Line's Slauson Station, is located within a part of the Florence-Firestone community which is poised to be rezoned for higher-density development through a new specific plan now being considered by Los Angeles County.

watermark Construction of AsterUrbanize LA

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