GHEDC, LOGOS Development awarded $4 million grant for affordable housing development in Watts
Grant Housing and Economic Development Corporation (GHEDC) & LOGOS Faith Development LLC have been awarded a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop Gateway Place, a new veteran supportive housing project in Watts.
The project will transform a vacant lot at 103rd and Central and is slated to break ground in 2025. This development is part of a larger slate of projects that GHEDC and LOGOS are working on together across the state of California.
GHEDC, LOGOS Development awarded $4 million grant for affordable housing development in Watts© Provided by 2UrbanGirls.com
GHEDC, LOGOS Development awarded $4 million grant for affordable housing development in Watts© Provided by 2UrbanGirls.com
“We’re thrilled to partner with GHEDC on the development of Gateway Place, and we’re grateful for the support of HUD in providing the resources to assist us in creating more affordable housing and supportive services for veterans in the Watts area,” said Pastor Martin Porter, Managing Partner at LOGOS. “Our partnership with GHEDC enables us to combine our expertise and resources to create more affordable housing options and opportunities for economic development that lift all boats.”
Gateway Place will incorporate cutting-edge green technologies to ensure that the development of the project sets a new standard of excellence in environmental efficiency. The partnership will also continue the legacy of superior architecture and color palette of the existing GHEDC housing stock on Central Avenue. The development will provide essential support facilities to the local community, including an innovation hub, co-working space, and/or a ground floor food tenant focused on providing healthy choices for the local neighborhood.
Chris Jordan, Executive Director, and Chief Operating Officer of GHEDC, commented, “This project aligns with our shared commitment to building sustainable and inclusive communities across California. We are excited to work with LOGOS and other like organizations to bring more empowering projects like Gateway Place to fruition.”
Pastor Martin Porter, Managing Partner LOGOS Development, Chris Jordan, Executive Director GHEDC, Samantha Lewin VP Development LOGOS stand in front of the proposed site. (Courtesy photo)
© Provided by 2UrbanGirls.com
The innovation hub will strengthen the community as a place to gather, learn, and share. In times of crisis, such as extreme weather events and power outages, it will draw upon an on-site microgrid to provide backup power for critical community needs, such as Wi-Fi, cooling, heat, refrigeration for medications, wheelchairs, and medical device charging, and more. The site itself will be designed to support the health and well-being of the community in a changing climate, with landscaped common open space to mitigate the impacts of extreme heat through smart building orientation, shade trees, and exterior shading.
Courtesy of Gensler and United Way of Greater LA
“Having developed our expertise in parallel with GHEDC/LOGOS for the past 5+ years, Gensler could not be more delighted to see the fruits of our collective efforts pay off in the form of a chance to realize this project,” says Roger Sherman, Director at Gensler, who will be the architect for Gateway Place. “At a time where land is the coin of the realm in producing enough housing to ease the shortage of affordable housing, the surplus of faith-based properties is one of, if not the most promising pathway by which to address this problem.”
“Projects like Gateway Place align with LOGOS’ vision to create quality housing and to support the needs of our communities. Our partnership with GHEDC has been instrumental in advancing not only this project but also other initiatives that are in our project pipeline,” says Samantha Lewin, VP of Development at LOGOS.
In addition to Gateway Place, GHEDC and LOGOS are collaborating on several affordable housing projects spanning California, Oregon, and Colorado. They have also proposed a $24 million grant in partnership with the Livable Communities Initiative (LCI), a group of urbanists, architects, progressive activists, and advocates who want to reimagine cities while addressing the housing, mobility, and climate crisis. The grant would support the development of approximately 260 units of affordable housing for low-income individuals and families across eight projects in California. The proposal prioritizes sustainability and energy efficiency, aligning with the partners’ commitment to environmentally responsible development.
GHEDC is a local 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation dedicated to community enrichment by creating opportunities in education, housing, and economic development. LOGOS is an LA-based real estate development organization known for its focus on landowner partnerships primarily with faith-based organizations. GHEDC and LOGOS have a history of working together to create estate development opportunities in areas that other developers have often overlooked.
For more information on the GHEDC/LOGOS Development partnership and the proposed Gateway Place project, please email: info@logosfaithdev.com.