Transit and elected officials Thursday celebrated the opening of an affordable housing development built on Metro-owned land next to a major subway station.
Metro partnered with Little Tokyo Service Center to unveil the Santa Monica Vermont Apartments, a transit-oriented complex designed for low-income households. The development is located at 1021 N. Vermont Ave., adjacent to the Metro B Line’s Vermont/Santa Monica station at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, according to Metro officials.
“The Santa Monica Vermont Apartments show how we can bring housing and transit together to better serve our communities,” Metro Board Chair and Whittier City Councilman Fernando Dutra said in a statement. “Reliable transit within reach helps create more connected, resilient neighborhoods and expands access to opportunity for working families.”
The apartment complex consists of two buildings with 185 income-restricted affordable units, two property manager’s units, and more than 20,000 square feet of commercial space.
Of the 185 units available, half of them are reserved as permanent supportive housing for formerly unhoused individuals. The complex offers amenities such as on-site supportive services, community spaces, and a planned federally qualified health center for dental and vision services for the greater community.
The project also includes improvements to the plaza and station area with new lighting and landscaping, and sidewalk enhancements.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, a Metro board member, represents the unincorporated areas of East Los Angeles. She described the project as a “lifeline” for families and residents in the area.
“By situating these homes near transit, we are expanding access to opportunity, improving mobility, and helping residents reduce or even eliminate transportation costs. This is how we build stronger, more equitable communities for generations to come,” Solis said in a statement.
City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, who represents the 13th Council District that encompasses Hollywood, attended the event along with other local officials, housing leaders and project partners.
Metro officials said the project is part of the agency’s broader effort to build 10,000 housing units on its properties across Los Angeles County by 2031, with at least half reserved as income-restricted housing.
The agency’s joint development program partners with nonprofit and private developers to build housing and mixed-use projects on land owned by Metro.
Metro has partnered with local developers such as Little Tokyo Service Center to build apartments on Metro-owned properties. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said the Santa Monica Vermont Apartment is one of the agency’s largest projects to date.
“Housing is desperately needed in L.A. County, and we’ll keep marching forward toward our goal to build 10,000 units of housing near Metro stations,” Wiggins said in a statement.
The center has built more than 1,300 units of housing across Los Angeles since 1980. Nonprofit officials said they have five more affordable housing projects in the pipeline in Little Tokyo, Skid Row, Chinatown and South Los Angeles.
“We’re honored to contribute a community asset to the East Hollywood neighborhood. Santa Monica and Vermont Apartments provide affordable, safe and dignified homes with access to supportive services and high-quality transit, along with ground floor space for local small businesses and community facilities,” Little Tokyo Service Center Co-Executive Director Takao Suzuki said in a statement. “LTSC is proud to complete the first affordable housing project using Measure ULA funds, as we continue to address LA’s urgent housing affordability crisis.”
Metro previously opened two mixed-use apartment buildings — La Veranda and Los Lirios — in 2024, and in the following year the agency opened Lorena Plaza in Boyle Heights.