Supervisor Hahn directs $1.62M toward affordable housing project in Central Long Beach
One of Long Beach’s least-discussed affordable housing developments—the five-story, 95-unit mixed-use project dubbed The Spark—will take one step closer to becoming a reality after Supervisor Janice Hahn directed $1.62 million to the project.
Taken from two sources—$1.5 million from the 4th District’s Homeless Prevention Initiative funds and $120,000 in residual funding remaining after the completion of the South Whittier Library project—the amount will be divvied up between funding the actual project ($1.5 million) and providing administrative costs for the County’s Community Development Commission that helps oversee the project.
“The SPARK is an exciting project that will not only mean new affordable homes for 95 families, but will be an asset to the entire Midtown Long Beach community,” said Hahn in a statement. “These are the kinds of projects that allow neighborhoods to thrive and we have a great non-profit partner like LINC Housing working to ensure this project succeeds.”
Rendering of The Spark affordable housing development in Central Long Beach. Courtesy of by William Hezmalhalch Architects.
Located at 1900 Long Beach Blvd., just north of Pacific Coast Highway, The Spark is one of many transit-oriented housing projects coming online in the city, joining projects like The Beacon, which is currently under construction.
The $41.4 million project, headed by LINC Housing Corporation and designed by William Hezmalhalch Architects, will consist of 95 affordable units reserved for individuals with special needs.
There will be 47 one-bedrooms, 25 two-bedrooms, and 23 three-bedrooms. Of those, 47 units will be given to folks who have previously experienced homelessness while the other 47 will be divvied up among those who are federally defined as Extremely Low Income (households earning 30 percent or less than the median income), Very Low Income (earning between 50 and 30 percent of the median income) and Low Income (earning between 80 and 50 percent of the median income). One unit is given to the manager of the building.
The project is expected to break ground in the beginning of 2019.
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