The Community Corporation of Santa Monica, along with the city and St. Joseph Center, recently debuted Berkeley Station, Santa Monica’s first-ever modular affordable housing development, with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The development is comprised of 13 apartments for low-income families and young adults who are facing housing insecurity at 1342 Berkeley St.

The city gave an $11.3 million Housing Trust Fund construction loan and 13 vouchers to support the project. St. Joseph Center, meanwhile, will provide on‑site case management and supportive services for residents at the property who are enrolled in its Santa Monica Youth Resource Team program. Community Corporation of Santa Monica is the owner and developer of the project.

“This building has been such an exciting innovation for us,” Tara Barauskas, Community Corp.’s executive director, said in a statement. “What started as our first-ever modular development is now 13 real homes for low-income families and young adults in need of support. Cutting this ribbon today means Santa Monica has a new model for what efficient and smarter affordable housing can look like.”

The development has a garden, laundry facilities and a rooftop deck.

The units were designed by Brooks + Scarpa, which has a local office in Hawthorne. The architecture firm won a $1 million grant from the L.A. County Housing Innovation Challenge in 2019 for its NEST Toolkit, which was used in this project. The toolkit aids modular housing development.

Plant Prefab built the apartments at its factory in Tejon Ranch and spent three days installing them on the lot.

“Berkeley Station shows how we can deliver high-quality, affordable homes more quickly and efficiently for those who need them most,” Ryan J. Smith, president and chief executive of St. Joseph Center, said in a statement. “We’re especially proud to support the young adults who will call Berkeley Station home through our Santa Monica Youth Resource Team program, providing the services needed to not only secure housing, but to sustain it and build long-term pathways to economic mobility.”

Tackling the housing crisis

California is short of 1 million affordable homes, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Factory-built housing is viewed as one way to quickly add more necessary units. This type of housing is fabricated off stie, while the site is being prepared. When it is finished, it is installed on the site. It can save time due to the site and the units being worked on simultaneously.

“Berkeley Station is proof that Santa Monica can take on the housing crisis with urgency and results,” Santa Monica Mayor Caroline Torosis said in a statement.

“We are cutting through delays and embracing new approaches like modular construction to deliver affordable homes faster and more efficiently. For the young adults and families moving in, this means stability, opportunity and the ability to stay rooted in the community they call home. This is the work of making sure Santa Monica remains a city where working people can build a future,” she added.

Berkeley Station is also all-electric and includes solar panels.