Two More Examples of Existing Affordable Housing Sitting Empty
Let’s talk about two sources of existing affordable housing.
Bungalow courts have long been synonymous with affordable housing in Los Angeles, and are very desirable to renters who want more privacy and quiet than one tends to find in most apartment buildings (I am a former apartment manager and I do not say that gladly.)
6313-6323 Brynhurst Avenue is rent-stabilized and my sources tell me it’s no longer filled with renters.
The owners of the bungalow court applied for, but never got, a permit to redevelop the property. That was three years ago. The plan was for a 5-story, 50-unit complex with one low-income unit and five extremely low income units. While this would have been a net gain of two affordable units, the complex has not been built, and renters of limited means need those bungalows NOW. (They could also be moved to Altadena to replace lost homes. Just saying.)
Here’s the listing. Looks like the owners want to either sell it or partner with investors.
Now, I get it. Building an apartment complex with 50 family-sized units would probably pay off for investors in the long run. But surely the bungalows that are already there don’t need to sit empty for years, waiting on permits that may never come, while tens of thousands of Angelenos have nowhere to live? (And, like I said, they could be moved instead of demolished. Waste not, want not.)
Let’s move on to another source of affordable housing that has largely, but not completely, died out: boarding houses.
Once upon a time, homes in the city’s oldest neighborhoods were converted into boarding houses. Many of them are now gone. Thousands of low-income renters were displaced from Bunker Hill boarding houses in the 1960s. On a personal note, my great-grandmother owned and operated a small boarding house in Sawtelle.
One survivor, the Haverhill, has been providing inexpensive housing since 1907. However, it’s currently in REAP, and buildings only go into REAP when they are in serious need of repair. HALF of the building’s 22 single-room-occupancy units are empty. Gee, I wonder why that could be. With homelessness at an all-time high, the idea of 11 empty units in one building alone really bothers me.
The Haverhill is going into a receivership auction in less than a week. If you’re so inclined, the starting bid is $250,000, but I suspect the land alone is worth more than that.