Massive, Vacant L.A. Hospital To Become Affordable Housing

The vast Los Angeles General Hospital building that looms over the east side of the L.A. River will see new life as affordable housing, reports Summer Lin for the Los Angeles Times. “The motion directs county departments to report back within four months on a potential timeline and allocate up to $194.7 million in funding for the project, according to a news release from Supervisor Hilda Solis.”

According to Lin, “The General Hospital project is part of the Restorative Care Village proposal, a county effort that began in 2017 with the goal of combining resources for homelessness, unemployment, mental health and substance abuse on the County-USC campus.” The proposal calls for 184 market-rate housing units and 371 affordable housing units. “The project will also allow for the possibility for community and commercial space, such as child care, a gym or a grocery store, according to Solis’ office.”

After the 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged it, the massive building was no longer in compliance with building and fire codes. Today, “Most of the original General Hospital building remains unused, though its lower floors are home to the Wellness Center, a U.S. Navy medical training center and several county departments.”