Group to Mark Finish of Housing Project

A local nonprofit group that builds and refurbishes affordable housing complexes for low-income families will celebrate the completion of its latest development today in Sylmar.

Los Angeles Councilman Hal Bernson and Gary Pinney, general manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department, plan to join residents and staff from the Los Angeles Community Design Center this morning for a ceremony marking completion of the 18-unit Astoria Place Townhomes.

The four-building complex is the fourth development completed in the San Fernando Valley this year by LACDC, which owns and operates 18 apartment complexes in Los Angeles County.

“Because of the 1994 earthquake, our focus has really been on the Valley,” said Robin Hughes, executive director of LACDC. “There were hundreds of affordable housing units lost in the Valley as a result of the earthquake.”

LACDC distributed more than 1,500 applications this year from families eager to move into its apartment complexes, Hughes said. The Astoria Place Townhomes were fully leased within one month of their completion this summer, she said.

Financing for the complex was secured through various sources, including private investors and a loan from the Los Angeles Housing Department. Rents range from $391 to $541 per month for three-bedroom units to $633 for a five-bedroom unit. The average annual income for families living in the complex is $19,700, officials said.

In October 1996, LACDC purchased the townhomes from the original developer, who was forced to abandon the project when it was 90% complete. LACDC completed the project and added such amenities as a community room, laundry facilities, garden, basketball court and ceramic mural designed by local artist Bill Attaway.