A Good Show for Housing in Watts
In Watts, low-income families often have no choice of where to live other than a public housing project. The need for affordable housing there is great, but most developers shy away because they fear they won’t be able to make a profit in a poor part of town. That’s why nonprofit developers may offer the best--and in most cases the only--hope.
There could be more reason to hope starting today, when Mayor Tom Bradley dedicates Westminster Park Plaza, a $10-million complex of 130 townhouses that has been attracting lots of attention on the South Side. More than 2,000 families have applied for the new apartments. The lucky tenants who are finally selected to live there will pay rents scaled down to their income.
Dr. E. Grace Payne deserves most of the credit for this new project. Six years ago she decided to build housing near her Westminister Neighborhood Assn. Inc., a Presbyterian-supported center, to discourage families from moving away and to encourage children to take pride in their community. Without money, her vision stalled until the mayor got on board. He encouraged the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, better known for its substantial commercial investment downtown, to commit $5 million to Payne’s effort.
Then Payne met investor David Adams, who committed $1.5 million in exchange for tax credits. Like Payne, he insisted on building attractive apartments that anybody would be proud to live in, not something quickly tossed up for poor people. A $3.5-million loan from Wells Fargo Bank completed the financing.
Black entrepreneurs also played active roles. For-profit developers Marvin Greer and Thad Williams worked in tandem with Anthony Cooper, the nonprofit developer who guided the project for the newly formed Westminster Neighborhood Housing Project.
This public-private nonprofit partnership created the largest complex of affordable family housing built in Watts since the riots of 1965. Now the partners are working to keep the housing as appealing in the future as it is when grand-spanking new. Experienced property managers are screening all applicants. Prospective tenants must bring all family members to an interview to determine who will actually live in the apartment, and whether the children are disciplined. Tenants must also attend an orientation that outlines what is expected of them in their new homes.
Even as construction workers put on the finishing touches, Grace Payne and Anthony Cooper are working on two new projects to create more affordable housing in Watts. It’s a tough job,but Westminister Park Plaza proves it can be done.
