08 Sep Preserving the Heart of Community
The ability to call East Hollywood “home” has grown more challenging in recent years for many local residents struggling to make ends meet.
Accelerated gentrification and for-profit housing have displaced family-owned businesses and individuals, threatening the vibrant diversity and culture that shape the neighborhood’s identity. But in the midst of this rapidly-changing landscape stands a testament to the determination of a community worth fighting for.
In 2022, LTSC broke ground on our largest housing project to date to build 187 affordable units at the Vermont/Santa Monica Metro Station in East Hollywood. The transit-oriented development will include community-serving retail space, prioritizing local small businesses as tenants, as well as on-site supportive services for residents via Housing Works.
“We want to ensure a positive impact on the neighborhood’s health, while also doing our part to alleviate the housing crisis,” said Debbie Chen, LTSC Director of Real Estate Development. “LTSC is taking a holistic and responsible approach towards community development by collaborating with the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council and individual community organizations to ensure the neighborhood sees their needs represented.”
Jillian Schultz, Corresponding Secretary of the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council, commended LTSC for its approach, as opposed to for-profit developers. “What I’ve witnessed LTSC doing is the complete opposite of what every other developer is doing. They’ve allowed for things like deep community engagement, returning to meetings over and over again, listening to the concerns that are being expressed by the community. To me, it’s a model for the type of development that should be happening all over Los Angeles,” she shared.
LTSC’s vision for SMV goes beyond bricks and mortar. It embodies our mission to strengthen communities of color and support low-income residents, wherever the need exists.
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