The 7th & Witmer Apartments is a 76-unit, permanent supportive housing development for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. It is a 6-story, mixed-use building in Downtown Los Angeles that features (3) ground-floor retail units, one of which is a Metro bike-sharing station. Located in an urban infill site two miles from LA’s infamous Skid Row, this project not only provides critically needed housing, but it is also part of a larger urban development to improve sustainable mobility along the 7th Street corridor.
Project Name: 7th & Witmer Apartments
Studio Name: Relativity Architects (RA)
Location: Los Angeles, United States
Photography: Nicolas Marques
Project size: 63364 ft2
Site size: 19777 ft2
Completion date: 2020
Building levels: 6
A game-changer in the development of affordable housing, this project received recognition as a 2020 Finalist for the ULI Jack Kemp Award for Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing for its significant accomplishments, such as:
• Delivered a (land+hard) cost per unit of $330,00 (compared to LA’s average of $450,000) while providing commercial prevailing wages to all construction workers
• LEED for Homes sustainability certification that includes the first greywater system in the City of LA that uses both stormwater and greywater to supply toilets and irrigation
• On the forefront of addressing homelessness, this project is strictly for the specific population of chronically homeless individuals who are currently on the streets and not in shelters or other living arrangements
• In partnership with the City of Los Angeles and in coordination with several public agencies, it is part of larger sustainable transportation / mobility improvements and urban greening along 7th Street
