Pictured at the ribbon-cutting for Santa Monica Vermont Apartments are (from left): Holly Rockwell, deputy executive officer, Metro Countywide Planning and Development; Jonathan Tsang, associate director, Community Investment Operations, AHP General Fund/targeted fund round manager, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco; Hector Layva, section chief, California Department of Housing and Community Development; Lourdes Castro-Ramirez, president and CEO, Los Angeles Housing Authority; Garrett Gin, Greater Los Angeles Market executive, Bank of America; Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Metro Board second vice chair; Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez; Nicole Ferrara, deputy chief planning officer, Metro; Frank Cárdenas, vice chair, California Strategic Growth Council Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation; Craig Arceneaux, associate general manager, Los Angeles Housing Department; Ginger, SMV resident; Takao Suzuki, LTSC co-executive director.
Affordable housing development delivers 185 income-restricted homes in East Hollywood.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) continues to build on its commitment to grow its transit-oriented housing portfolio to 10,000 homes by 2031. On April 30, Metro joined nonprofit developer Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) to celebrate the Santa Monica Vermont Apartments, a transit-oriented, mixed-use housing development for low-income households.
Santa Monica Vermont Apartments is located adjacent to the Metro B Line’s Vermont/Santa Monica station at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Avenue in East Hollywood.
“The Santa Monica Vermont Apartments show how we can bring housing and transit together to better serve our communities,” said Metro Board Chair Fernando Dutra. “Reliable transit within reach helps create more connected, resilient neighborhoods and expands access to opportunity for working families.”
Santa Monica Vermont Apartments includes two buildings with 185 income-restricted affordable apartments and two property managers’ units above 20,000 square feet of community-serving commercial space. Residential units consist of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The project’s 185 units are affordable for low-income house-holds, with half of the units reserved as permanent supportive housing for formerly unhoused individuals.
Amenities include on-site supportive services, community space, and a planned federally qualified health center providing dental and vision services to the East Hollywood community. The project also includes improvements to the plaza and station area with new lighting and landscaping, as well as pedestrian improvements.
“This development is more than just new homes, it is a lifeline,” said Hilda L. Solis, Metro Board member and chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, representing the First District. “At a time when the demand for affordable housing continues to outpace supply, investments like this are essential to keeping our communities stable and thriving. 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.”
Metro’s Vision 2028 Strategic Plan encourages the development of affordable housing near transit to give more people, especially in low-income communities, better access to transit. In 2021, the Metro Board established a goal of expanding Metro’s housing portfolio through the Joint Development program to 10,000 homes by 2031, with at least 5,000 of the apartments to be restricted at affordable rents for lower and moderate-income households.
To meet the goal, Metro has partnered with local developers such as LTSC to increase the supply of high-quality housing on Metro properties, especially income-restricted apartments. In addition to providing much-needed housing, these new projects can advance many community development goals and serve as a gateway to the Metro transit system. With over 5,000 units completed, in construction, or in negotiations, Metro is now over halfway to its goal of 10,000 homes by 2031.
“The Santa Monica Vermont Apartment project is one of Metro’s largest Joint Development projects to open to date, and it is already changing the lives of hundreds of Angelenos,” said Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of Metro. “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 before 2031.”
The Santa Monica Vermont Apartments brings LTSC’s affordable housing portfolio to over 1,300 units across Los Angeles since 1980. Santa Monica Vermont’s affordability, supportive services, community-serving commercial space, and neighborhood engagement reflect LTSC’s mission to create positive change for people and places. LTSC currently has 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,” said LTSC Co-Executive Director Takao Suzuki. “Santa Monica and Vermont Apartments provides 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. LTSC is proud to complete the first affordable housing project using Measure ULA funds, as we continue to address L.A.’s urgent housing affordability crisis.”
Santa Monica Vermont Apartments is part of Metro’s ambitious effort to bring more affordable, transit-oriented housing to Los Angeles County. In 2024, Metro celebrated two developments, La Veranda and Los Lirios, both mixed-use housing developments for low- and moderate-income households in Boyle Heights. In 2025, Lorena Plaza opened as a mixed-use housing development for low-income households, with half the apartments prioritized for veterans who are low-income or experiencing homelessness.
For more information on Metro’s Joint Development program, visit https://www.metro.net/jd.