A 34,000-square-foot affordable housing development has been unveiled in South Los Angeles.
Developed by nonprofit homebuilder Holos Communities, Isla Intersections is a 54-unit complex featuring 53 one-bedroom permanent supportive housing units, plus one manager’s unit. Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects designed the project.
Utilizing modular construction, Holos Communities built the apartments from recycled shipping containers on a formerly undeveloped, city-owned lot. It is located at 283 W. Imperial Highway in Broadway-Manchester and named after its location at the crossroads of the 110 and 105 freeways.
“Isla is an example of what can be achieved when the public, private and nonprofit sector work together doing things that haven’t been done before,” Christian Ahumada, executive director and chief executive of Holos Communities, said in a statement.
Funding came from an amalgamation of wallets – including from the Annenberg Foundation, CIT Bank, Enterprise Community Partners, the Housing Authority of the city of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Housing Department – to bring the development to fruition.
“We are thrilled to support Isla Intersections, an innovative project that will bring permanent sustainable housing to people who deserve a place to call their own,” Wallis Annenberg, chair, president and chief executive of the Annenberg Foundation, said in a statement. “It’s clean, green and livable.”
Named in the foundation’s honor, the development will also feature a public walkthrough called the Annenberg Paseo – containing lush landscape comprised of carefully selected trees that will clean the air nearby. The landscaping will reduce noise and light pollution from the surrounding freeways. Other amenities include community terraces, rooftop farms and retail incubators.
“In just 12 months, this project was built using shipping containers and now consists of 54 apartments, including housing for homeless veterans,” District 8 L.A. Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson said at the project’s opening. “The Annenberg Paseo, a green space, is also part of the project and serves as a solution to combat pollution. This project sets a precedent for the development of eco-friendly buildings and structures in Los Angeles.”
The project began in 2017 as a submission to a citywide request for proposal specifically looking for modular construction. Construction began in 2019.
