Monarch Apartment Homes is the first affordable housing community to open in Palm Springs, California, in more than 14 years.
Approximately 200 people recently gathered to celebrate the $36 million, 60-unit development by the Community Housing Opportunities Corp. (CHOC).
“Affordable housing is the key to creating a city that thrives for everyone, and it has been severely lacking in our community for over a decade,” said mayor Jeffrey Bernstein. “Standing here, you can see that’s starting to change. By partnering with CHOC, this vision is now a reality. Monarch Apartment Homes is a testament to the city of Palm Springs’ commitment to bringing more inclusive quality housing into our communities.”
Comprised of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, all of which have patios or balconies, the complex was created in a midcentury modern style to blend in with the surrounding neighborhood.
Designed with sloping rooftops that mimic the monarch butterfly, sustainable building materials, and natural desert plants that blend in with the local vegetation, Monarch Apartment Homes received the International Design Awards’ honorable mention in 2021. Maria Song, principal at Interactive Design Corp., is the lead architect.
Noe Montes
Financing for the community includes $21 million through tax-exempt bonds and low-income housing tax credits from the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee. Additional funding for the complex came from the California Municipal Finance Authority, the California Community Reinvestment Corporation, the city of Palm Springs, Riverside County, Flagstar Bank, and National Equity Fund.
“As we continue to see cities and counties across the state develop new strategic approaches to meet affordable housing needs in their communities, it’s the importance of public-private partnerships that shines through. Collaboration is the cornerstone of any one person or entity’s success, and that could not be truer in this case,” said Joy Silver, CHOC’s chief strategy officer. “Our partnership with the city of Palm Springs allowed for this much-needed community to come to fruition, fulfilling a decades-old need for residents of this city; and this is only the beginning.”
