SHERMAN OAKS : Senior Housing Over Parking Lot OKd

The Los Angeles City Council has approved plans for a two-story apartment building for senior citizens to be built on top of a city-owned public parking lot on Dickens Street in Sherman Oaks.

The low-income housing project will cost more than $10 million and include 83 units over a three-level, 247-space public parking lot.

Construction is expected to begin by the end of summer and be completed within a year, officials said.

The project, approved Friday, is expected to create about 70 more parking spaces than currently exist on the lot near the corner of Ventura and Van Nuys boulevards.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development is funding about $7 million of the costs, while the city is paying $1 million. The city also is providing a $2.5-million loan, which will be paid back before the project is completed.