Selma Community Housing is a model joint-use development with an unlikely land owner to benefit school district and low-income families.
Developed by Abode Communities in collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the development provides 66 service-enhanced affordable homes to families earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income. In an effort to increase employee retention, reduce absenteeism, and promote work/life balance, nearly 70% of households who call Selma home work for L.A. Unified, with the remaining units allocated for low-income families that would otherwise be priced out of Hollywood’s high-cost rental market.
As more communities look to provide housing for school employees and other vulnerable low-income populations, Selma stands as a model. L.A. Unified provided a 66-year ground lease of surplus land adjacent to an elementary school to meet two critical needs: increased affordable housing and access to parking.
To address the district’s parking requirements, Abode Communities combined 67 subterranean resident parking spaces with 50 parking spaces that serve the school by day, then transform into public parking at night. “This development was a win for the neighborhood at-large,” says Robin Hughes, Abode Communities’ president and CEO. “Our affordable housing fills a vital gap in this highly desirable Hollywood community, and the revenue generated from the nighttime parking is directly reinvested into the adjacent Selma Elementary School.”
Residents further have access to Abode Communities’ resident services program, Beyond Homes, which offers a wide range of programming from youth after-school enrichment and adult empowerment workshops to community engagement and health/wellness programs.
Selma, which features one-, two, and three-bedroom units, is Abode Communities’ sixth LEED Platinum building. The $32.6 million development was made possible through a blend of private and public funding, including nearly $19 million in low-income housing tax credit equity from Union Bank.
