F.A.Q.

THE PROJECT

The Rose Hill Courts Project will redevelop the 100-unit public housing property sitting on approximately 5-acres into 185 units of affordable housing, park space and community amenities. The Project has two phases. Phase I will include 89 replacement units dispersed between two buildings. Phase II will consist of up to 96 units and will provide new affordable family units. Phase I is currently under construction. Phase I is owned by Rose Hill Courts I Housing Partners, L.P., and Phase II will be owned by Rose Hill Courts II Housing Partners, L.P.. Both of these ownerships are a joint venture between Related and HACLA. The property management company will be Related Management Company (RMC). 

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND ENTITLEMENTS

HACLA is the lead agency for the Rose Hill Courts Redevelopment for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).  On November 26, 2019, HACLA Board of Commissioners certified the Environmental Impact Report (SCH 2018091035) and Errata, dated November 2019 for the Rose Hill Courts Redevelopment Project and approved the Redevelopment Project. On March 9, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Los Angeles Office of Public Housing issued approval of the City of Los Angeles’ Environmental Certification under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Rose Hill Courts Redevelopment Project. Related and HACLA have received all necessary development entitlement approved from the City of Los Angeles on December 24, 2019.

FINANCING PHASE

The development team and HACLA intend to keep all units in the new development affordable and are in the process of securing multiple sources of funding to support the cost of each phase. These sources can include tax credits, conventional debt, and competitive grants. Phase I has already received all funding and construction is currently underway. The development team is currently working on securing necessary funding for Phase II. 

CONSTRUCTION PHASE

Phase I is currently under construction. Construction will take approximately 24 months and completion is expected in Spring 2023. Phase II construction will not start until all current residents have been offered housing in Phase I. 

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

I thought Rose Hill Courts was going to be rehabilitated? Why the switch to new construction? 

HACLA and Related conducted research and analysis during 2016 and 2017 to examine the rehabilitation approach and found that this approach would not allow a good portion of our existing families to return to Rose Hill Courts because of restrictive “right sizing” requirements. Our households need more one-bedroom units (at least 25 additional one bedroom units are needed) and these cannot be created through the rehabilitation process. Additionally, almost 50% of our households qualify as senior or disabled and the rehabilitation would not provide for reasonable and compliant handicap access to the units. Lastly, due to the deteriorated condition of the existing buildings the rehabilitation became cost-prohibitive and would not provide the benefits of a new building such as larger units, modern amenities etc.

I thought Rose Hill Courts was historic? How can it be demolished? 

Rose Hill Courts has a historic designation due to the age of the buildings and as an example of early public housing. The environmental review process did consider the historic nature of the property and did examine impacts caused by demolition of the buildings and we proposed potential mitigation measures. HACLA and Related have engaged the residents and local stakeholders to obtain their input on how best to document the history of Rose Hill Courts for future generations and will be preparing a permanent display in the community center and developing a history page on HACLA’s website.

Will residents need to be relocated? 

Phase I did require the relocation of 12 households temporarily. While Phase I is being built, these tenants have been temporarily relocated either to the existing Phase II, to nearby public housing sites or to an available private apartment of their choice. The remainder of residents will live onsite in their units while Phase I is being constructed. Once Phase I is completed, the relocated residents and the residents still residing in the older buildings will have the first right to move into one of the new units. 

HUD regulations ensure that residents, subject to relocation, will be provided relocation counseling, compensation for moving expense and provided with decent, safe and sanitary housing choices. 

What is the possibility that residents get to come back?

Any resident wishing to return to the development will be able to do so. 

Will new homes be affordable?

Yes. All of the units planned for Rose Hill Courts will be affordable. Current residents will move into units with similar rent structures as their current public housing. Additional units beyond the 100 replacement units will be available at a range of extremely-low to low-income households and will remain income restricted. 

Will the needs of the senior residents be met? What about amenities for families with children?

With new construction, units will be built to be fully accessible and senior-specific amenities and services will be provided. There will be gardens, community rooms and a community kitchen, play and work out spaces built as part of Phase I, and the final build out includes a new community building and large outdoor play areas.

What safety and security features are included?

There will be security cameras located in the main common areas, and RMC will provide an on-site resident manager with offices on the ground floor of Building A of Phase I. Once construction for Phase II is complete, the on-site resident manager office will be moved to the Community Building. Buildings will be accessed only by key fob; residents will be given a key fob which will give them access to the lobby and common areas. In addition, all buildings will be fully sprinklered with a fire alarm system.