In Midtown Long Beach, construction is in the home stretch for the Las Ventanas Apartments, a mixed-use affordable housing complex next to the A Line's PCH Station.
The project, which is being developed by AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc. of Agoura Hills, is located on a previously vacant site at the southwest corner of Long Beach Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway. The new four-story edifice will contain 102 one, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, reserved for families and individuals earning between 20 and 80 percent of the area median income. Additionally, as part of a partnership with Los Angeles County's "Homes for Health" program, plans call for 15 of the apartments to be reserved for special needs homeless households.
The contemporary podium-type building greets the abutting light rail station with a small pedestrian plaza, as well as shops and restaurants to activate its street frontage. AMCAL is building Las Ventanas to LEED Platinum standards as determined by the U.S. Green Building Council, which awards the certification to projects which meet certain targets relative to water efficiency, energy usage, and recycled materials.
In pursuit of that goal, AMCAL has incorporated low-flow water fixtures and toilets, a high-efficiency irrigation system, and other features into Las Ventanas. Additionally, the developer has diverted 75 percent of construction waste away from landfills.
"We are excited to unveil Las Ventanas with its many environmentally sustainable features and look for to its positive contribution to the Long Beach Community," said AMCAL chief executive officer Percival Vaz in a news release.
The project is one of three new affordable housing developments within walking distance of PCH Station, following Linc Housing's Spark at Midtown across Long Beach Boulevard, and Clifford Beers Housing's Vistas del Puerto apartments one block west on Locust Avenue.
AMCAL, which has built affordable housing at sites across Los Angeles County, is developing a similar project near A Line stations in Historic South Central and Florence-Firestone.
For more information on Las Ventanas, visit the project's official website.
- Las Ventanas (Urbanize LA)
Looking for affordable housing? Visit lahousing.lacity.org/aahr
