LONG BEACH, CALIF. — Linc Housing has started the construction of Armory Arts Collective, an affordable seniors housing property in Long Beach’s East Village Arts District. The development will transform the long-vacant former Armory building through adaptive reuse and add five stories of new residential construction. Upon completion, the project will deliver 64 residences for low-income seniors age 55 years or older earning between 30 percent and 70 percent of the area median income.
Armory Arts Collective will feature 56 one-bedroom apartments and eight two-bedroom apartments, including a manager’s unit. Half of the homes will be fully wheelchair accessible and several will incorporate features to accommodate residents with hearing and visual impairments.
Linc will convert portions of the historic 26,500-square-foot Armory, which was built in 1930, into a community room, arts and crafts studio, health and wellness space and bicycle storage. Additionally, residents will have access to a landscaped courtyard and outdoor deck. A resident services coordinator will bring programs and activities to the community spaces.
Funding for the development includes $6.5 million from Long Beach Community Investment Co., a $5.2 million loan from the City of Long Beach, $6.2 million from the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Multifamily Housing Program and Infill Infrastructure Grant program, tax credit equity from Bank of America and additional grant support from Josephine S. Gumbiner Foundation and Wells Fargo Foundation. Project-based rental vouchers will be provided by the Housing Authority of the City of Long Beach.
The project team includes Studio One Eleven, with Howard CDM as consultant, and Walton Construction.