New KTGY-designed Residential Community Offers High Quality, Eco-Friendly Workforce Housing

Feb. 1, 2012 - PRLog -- IRVINE CALIF. -- According to award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture + Planning, the City of Los Angeles celebrated the grand opening of The Crossings on 29th Street in South Los Angeles on Thursday, January 26, 2012. The Crossings on 29th Street is an affordable quality residential community developed by Urban Housing Communities LLC (UHC), in collaboration with the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles and Councilmember Jan Perry of District 9 in South Los Angeles, which transformed an industrial island adjacent to a residential neighborhood into a safe, healthy, attractive and supportive family-friendly residential community for 34 families. Upon completion, this multi-phase development will provide over 400 affordable rentals and for-sale residences, retail to support the neighborhood and community and recreation facilities consistent with the City’s plan for the area.

Located adjacent to the 28th Street Elementary School at 818-838 E. 29th Street in Los Angeles, between Griffith Street and San Pedro Avenue, The Crossings on 29th Street provides 24 two-bedroom townhomes and 10 three-bedroom well-appointed apartment homes occupying 3 three-story buildings. Each apartment home features a covered patio/balcony, central heat and air conditioning, walk-in closets, Energy Star appliances, lighting and windows, water-saving kitchen and bathroom fixtures, dual-flush toilets, a gas range, washer/dryer hookups, tankless water heaters, high-speed internet access, and wiring for cable television. The overall design exceeds Title 24 efficiency standards by more than 30 percent, lowering energy consumption and providing another cost-saving benefit to residents.

Other eco-friendly design features include solar panels on carports to generate electricity for outdoor, flooring, railings, furniture, and trash and recycling receptacles made from recycled content, zero-VOC interior paints and low-VOC interior finishes and adhesives, building materials that contain recycled content and do not emit harmful chemicals. The buildings are all designed as nonsmoking to improve indoor air quality for health of residents. The general contractor for the project was Walton Construction Services of San Dimas, Calif.

According to KTGY Group's Studio Director Alan Scales, The Crossings on 29th Street has been designed in a traditional Craftsman style and features open space for the residents, which is unique to urban housing developments in Los Angeles. "UHC's commitment to this kind of open space is rare and not typically seen in affordable developments," noted Scales.

"The Crossings on 29th Street effectively blends eco-friendly housing with free supportive resident onsite services to help residents move toward a life of stability and opportunity while becoming self-sustaining members of their community," Scales added.

UHC has selected non-profit social service provider, Western Community Housing, to provide health and wellness services, educational classes, job attainment assistance, life skills training, youth programs, and community-building activities. UHC also collaborated with two local artists to create two permanent mosaic tile murals installed in the tot lot and inside the community room.

Families living at The Crossings on 29th Street will have access to a 2,000-square-foot onsite recreation center, which features a free supportive resident services program, a computer lab, a media center, a kitchen, laundry facilities and an office for the onsite manager. Outdoor amenities include BBQs, picnic tables, a tot lot and informal seating areas. Indoor and outdoor spaces were designed to promote interaction and activity among residents. The community also has resident and visitor covered parking with integrated solar panels.

The Crossings on 29th Street will provide much needed quality housing for families earning between 30 percent and 60 percent of the area median income in a neighborhood that offers employment, education and services. Rent ranges from $521 to $1,265 per month, based on family size and income level.

The Crossings on 29th Street will be served by Los Angeles Unified School District.  Students will attend 28th Street Elementary School (adjacent), Adams Middle School (0.8 miles) and the Santee Education Complex (0.8 miles). Transit, public park and medical services are located within walking distance.  

"The journey to get to the opening of the Crossings on 29th Street has been wonderful and life-changing," said Douglas R. Bigley, president of Urban Housing Communities LLC. "We are grateful to Councilwoman Jan Perry, the community organizations, and our governmental and financial partners for their dedication and allowing us to provide safe, eco-friendly affordable living to the families of this deserving community. We look forward to continuing these partnerships as we create additional developments that will serve this generation and those to come."

UHC recently completed five other KTGY-designed residential communities, which provide high quality, affordable apartment homes for working families: The Crossings at North Hills offering 38 affordable apartment homes also in Los Angeles County; The Crossings at Escondido offering 55 affordable apartment homes in San Diego County; The Crossings at Big Bear Lake offering 42 affordable apartment homes in San Bernardino County; The Crossings at New Rancho offering 18 affordable apartment homes in Sacramento County; and Horizons at Morgan Hill offering 49 affordable senior apartment homes in Santa Clara County.  

About Urban Housing Communities
UHC was formed in 2003 by executives from the affordable housing industry’s leading companies. Together, they have financed or developed over 10,000 units of housing. In 2011 alone, UHC completed construction of 8 Low Income Housing Tax Credit developments in Hawaii and California and is positioned to begin construction on four additional developments in 2012. For more information, visit www.uhcllc.net.

About KTGY Group, Inc.
Established in 1991, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture + Planning, provides comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, market trends and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, Calif., Denver, Colo., and Tysons Corner, Va. See www.ktgy.com.