WATTS — A 76-unit apartment complex opened June 26 in Watts as part of the ongoing transformation of Jordan Downs, a public housing development that has housed low-income families since the 1950s.
Kalmia Rose, a newly developed apartment complex, part of the Jordan Downs Specific Plan, is the latest phase in a $1 billion effort to replace the aging Jordan Downs public housing complex with mixed-income housing, retail space and community services. Officials describe the project as the largest public housing redevelopment project in Los Angeles history.
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, which owns and operates public housing throughout the city, is leading the redevelopment with Bridge Housing, a nonprofit that develops affordable housing across the West Coast.
“As the seventh phase of redevelopment at Jordan Downs, Kalmia Rose adds 76 new homes to the largest affordable housing redevelopment project in Los Angeles history,” said Lourdes Castro Ramirez, president of the Housing Authority of the city of Los Angeles. “Alongside new retail shops that create jobs and spur local economic growth, this $54 million investment is part of a broader transformation that is revitalizing not just Jordan Downs, but the community of Watts as a whole.
“I’m incredibly proud of this progress, and deeply grateful to the residents of this community and to our federal, state, local and private partners who share our commitment to expanding access to affordable housing and building pathways to stability and long-term success.”
“The opening of Kalmia Rose is a milestone in a decade-long effort to transform Jordan Downs into a thriving, inclusive community,” said Bridge Housing President and CEO Ken Lombard. “We’re honored to stand with our partners to mark this latest step in delivering on our promise to provide beautiful affordable housing, expanded opportunity for residents, and lasting investment in Watts.”
More than half of Kalmia Rose’s units are reserved for current Jordan Downs residents, allowing families to remain in their neighborhood during the multi-year construction process. The remaining units include 14 market-rate apartments and 61 affordable units for families earning between 30% and 60% of the area’s median income.
The $54 million development sits at 9704 and 9808 S. Kalmia St., one block from a transit stop and near medical facilities, a high school and library.
Karina Pimental lived in Jordan Downs for 23 years before moving to Kalmia Rose last winter with three of her children. The transition represented a significant change from the older public housing buildings.
“My kids have their own rooms now, and we have a washer and dryer in the unit,” Pimental said.
Construction crews included 140 workers from the Section 3 program, a federal initiative that requires housing projects to hire low-income residents from the surrounding area. These workers performed 56% of the construction labor, more than double the required 25%.
Jordan Downs resident Derrick Combs worked on the Kalmia Rose construction crew.
“I learned skills I can use on other jobs, and I was helping build something in my own neighborhood,” Combs said.
Jordan Downs was constructed in the 1940s to house workers during World War II, then converted to permanent public housing. The 700-unit complex had deteriorated over decades of deferred maintenance, prompting the current redevelopment that will eventually include more than 1,500 homes.
The project reflects a shift in public housing policy from concentrating low-income families in large developments to creating mixed-income communities. Kalmia Rose follows two other completed phases: Cedar Grove and Park Place.
El Nido Family Centers, a Los Angeles nonprofit, provides services to residents including food distribution and job training programs. One initiative offers high school students paid construction training through a partnership with Harbor Freight Tools for Schools.
