WEST ADAMS : Church’s Housing Project Under Way

With little fanfare, First AME Church representatives and city officials presided over a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 18 for its new affordable-housing project, FAME Gardens.

The event was overshadowed that day by the announcement of the verdicts in the trials of two men accused of beating trucker Reginald O. Denny at the start of last year’s riots. It was an ironic counterpoint, said FAME Housing Corp. executive director Peggy Hill, to the upbeat groundbreaking, which sought to break the very cycle of poverty and frustration the riots and trials seemed to embody.

“There’s a tremendous need in the city to serve large families, particularly seven or more people,” said Evelyn Fowler, senior housing finance officer for the Community Redevelopment Agency, which helped fund the development.

Located on 27th Street between Arlington Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, FAME Gardens is being built on the grounds of the Veatch Residence, a two-story Italian Renaissance-style mansion built in 1923. While the manor will be converted into an on-site child-care center for 76, its facade and many interior elements, such as the fireplace and staircase, will be preserved. The complex also will feature a library, community room and landscaped gardens.

“This will truly be for families,” said Hill. “We wanted to gear it that way as much as possible, make it attractive.”

The 81-unit project is the largest to date for the FAME Housing Corp.

The $15-million development got half of its funding from the redevelopment agency and the other half from FAME Housing Corp., a nonprofit agency of First AME Church begun in 1986 to develop affordable housing. The redevelopment agency provided $7.1 million for land acquisition, pre-development and construction costs. FAME Housing Corp. raised additional money through commercial loans and the sale of federal tax credits to private companies.

The need for such housing was abundantly clear, said Hill. Although applications won’t be approved by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development until well into next year, she collected 130 in a morning. Tenants will pay $406 to $582 for two-bedroom units and $443 to $667 for three-bedroom units. Under income guidelines, a family of five earning less than $30,000 can rent a three-bedroom apartment for $443 a month.

FAME Gardens is scheduled to open in October.