Chris Elsey, owner of Elsey Partners and 1320 West Jefferson Boulevard (Credit: Google Maps)
A developer of student housing is moving forward with a plan to build 129 units in Exposition Park, just west of USC.
Prime Place, a Kansas-based development firm, filed an application last year to build the project at 1320 W. Jefferson Boulevard. The case is still pending, but an earth-moving permit was filed this week with the city’s building department.
Thirteen of the units will be designated as affordable housing. The project qualifies for tier-3 incentives from L.A.’s Transit-Oriented Communities program, which was created to give bonuses for projects that include affordable housing near transit stops. The project applicant, Bryan Elsey with Elsey Partners LLC, is requesting bonuses related to height, open space and setbacks.
Student housing in California has become so unaffordable that some universities are desperate to find ways to cut costs for students. At UC Berkeley, for example, graduate students now can be matched with retirees who have extra space in their homes.
Other universities in Southern California are also working on housing solutions. LMU announced plans last year for two new structures with more than 600 beds. Developers filed plans for a 16-story project with up to 462 beds near UCLA. Southwestern Law restarted a 133-unit dorm project in Koreatown. A 128-unit project is set to rise near Cal State Northridge. And USC filed plans for a 79-unit building.