The Board of Supervisors approved the $453-million Vermont Corridor Project that includes building new headquarters for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health; up to 4,100 sq. ft. of retail space topped with market-rate apartments; and up to 72 units of affordable housing for seniors, plus a community recreation center.
The Project spans three sites on and around South Vermont Avenue, between Fourth and Sixth Streets. It is expected to create 1,400 construction jobs and hundreds more permanent jobs.
“This is an innovative approach,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who championed the transformation of the aging and dilapidated County-owned buildings that currently occupy the three sites. “We are creating jobs while positively transforming once-neglected blight into modern and robust assets.”
The County plans to build a state-of-the-art 21-story, 468,000-sq. ft. office tower to be dubbed the Vermont Corridor County Administration building at 510, 526 and 532 S. Vermont Avenue, with a parking structure on 523 Shatto Place. The office tower will house both the Mental Health department and Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services. The new building will improve working conditions for County employees and allow the department to improve service delivery, from prevention to recovery.
Its ground floor will include a peer resource center where people in recovery can assist those seeking help, as well as a retail social enterprise that will provide employment opportunities for some of the department’s clients.
“This is a symbol of cutting edge and inclusive ways of delivering services in the County,” said Supervisor Ridley-Thomas.
Next door, the existing County building on 550 S. Vermont Avenue and 3175 West Sixth Street will be converted into a mixed-use development. It will have up to 4,100-sq ft. of retail and commercial space on the ground floor, and up to 172 market-rate apartments on the upper floors.
Greg Ames, managing director of the Trammell Crow Company, which will develop both sites, said, “We are truly excited about our partnership with the County on this project and look forward to bringing first class, sustainable office space to the County and its employees, and much needed housing, affordable housing, and community space to our neighbors on the Vermont Corridor.”
The third site, on 433 S. Vermont Street, is envisioned to have 72 affordable housing units for seniors, to be developed by Meta Housing. It will also include a street-level community center and ample open space.
The Vermont Corridor is a bustling socioeconomically and culturally diverse neighborhood that includes bus and subway stations; retail and service establishments; markets; restaurants; schools; and the Korean American National Museum and Islamic Center of Southern California.
