Supportive Housing Bridging Venice Canals Granted Planning Commission Approval in L.A.

The mixed-use Reese Davidson Community will include 140 housing units, commercial space, and a performance space.

1 minute read

June 11, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Venice Beach, Los Angeles

The Venice Canals in question. | Muddymari / Shutterstock

A $75-million supportive housing complex slated for construction in L.A.'s Venice Beach has received approval from the city's planning commission. As Matthew Marani reports in the Architect's Newspaper, the complex is a "joint collaboration between the Venice Community Housing Corporation and the Hollywood Community Housing Corporation that will primarily house the formerly homeless and low-income tenants."

Some Venice residents oppose the project, calling it "unsightly and detrimental to the health and safety of the area." In online posts, one irate, anonymous resident wrote: "why should 200+ homeless transients live on the canals for free when I, as a local resident, could not afford the taxes let alone the purchase price??" The eclectic neighborhood has become a flashpoint in the debate over how to assist the unhoused population, which increased by 57% in 2020.

The development, which "will run abreast of Venice’s Grand Canal and replace existing surface parking lots," will create "140 apartments, approximately 7,400-square-feet of commercial space, and a 360-car parking garage for residents and visitors to the neighborhood," as well as a community room and performance space named for entertainer Gregory Hines. "Renderings released by Eric Owen Moss Architects also reveal substantial and publicly accessible landscaping along the canal, including new plantings, such as long grass and allees of trees, and stepped paving."

Thursday, June 3, 2021 in The Architect's Newspaper

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Close-up of white panel at top of school bus with "100% electric" black text.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation

California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

April 30 - California Air Resources Board

Aerial view of Freeway Park cap park over I-5 interstate freeway in Seattle, Washington at night.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

April 30 - Streetsblog USA

"No Thru Traffic - Open Streets Restaurants" sign in New York City during Covid-19 pandemic.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street

How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.

April 30 - Next City