Rose Hill Courts

Located in Los Angeles’ Montecito Heights neighborhood just four miles from downtown, Rose Hill Courts is a two-phase redevelopment of an existing low rise public housing complex. While the existing community accommodated only 100 units, the redevelopment will offer 185 completely affordable housing units, community amenities and parking to low, very low and extremely low income families. Garnering intensive input from existing residents and utilizing a steeply sloped site, this reinvigorated 100% affordable development showcases the community-building potential of public housing within a unique LA enclave.

The development and design team planned the redesign as a singular community developed in two phases to ensure existing residents could stay in place as long as possible and no families would be displaced. A central open space is key to maintaining the development’s low-density feel, but clever siting of one-to four-story structures takes advantage of a 60-foot grade difference from one end of the site to the other. A purposeful blending of single and multi-bedroom units also maintained the community’s intergenerational mix as 80% of current residents are seniors. New plans offer some senior-centric structures but also increased capacity for family configurations so that all ages can easily access the 300-acre Ernest E. Debs Regional Park to the north.