Metro joint developments proposed for Mariachi Plaza and the intersection of Cesar Chavez Avenue and Fickett Street will be considered by the agency’s Board of Directors this month. Specifically, the Board will consider entering into negotiations with the respective developers of the two projects.

Here are details and renderings:

Mariachi Plaza

Metro is asking the agency’s Board of Directors to enter into an 18-month Exclusive Negotiation Agreement with East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) for development of over an acre of Metro-owned property at Mariachi Plaza Station, which is served by the Gold Line.

The mixed-use development would include:

•60 affordable residential units, including 28 units for families earning 50 percent of area median income (AMI), 30 units for 18-to-24 year-olds earning 30 percent of AMI and two for management and maintenance;

•6,340-square-feet of ground-floor retail space occupied by locally-serving businesses and/or eateries.

•A 2,035-square-foot Mariachi cultural center.

•A 6,000-square-foot community garden at the lot off of Bailey Street.

Two development firms responded to Metro’s Request for Proposals (RFP) issued last March. ELACC is a well-established community-based organization in Boyle Heights with extensive experience in affordable housing and was the highest scoring respondent. Full details on the Mariachi Plaza selection process and the proposed project can be found here.

Chavez/Fickett

Metro staff is recommending that the agency enter into an 18-month Exclusive Negotiation Agreement with Abode Communities for development of a currently vacant Metro-owned property that was used for storage and construction during the building of the Gold Line. The site is located at the intersection of E. Cesar Chavez Avenue and Fickett Street in Boyle Heights, about one-quarter mile from the Gold Line’s Soto Station.

The mixed-use development would include:

•60 apartments, with  59 apartments reserved for families earning between 30 percent and 50 percent of area median income (AMI).

•A 25,000-square-foot community-serving grocery store.

•A 6,500-square-foot community park.

Five development firms responded to a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued last March. Abode Communities, an established affordable housing provider in California with an extensive portfolio of completed projects, was the highest scoring respondent. Full details on the Chavez/Fickett selection process and the proposed project can be found here.

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Both proposals were responsive to site specific Development Guidelines approved by the Metro Board in January 2017. These guidelines were prepared with community input received during an extensive, Metro-led stakeholder outreach process that occurred throughout the spring and summer of 2016 for both sites.

The next steps for both projects will include additional developer-led community outreach and a further refinement of both projects’ concepts and designs.

Staff plans to return to the Metro Board for approval to enter into Joint Development Agreements and Ground Leases on both projects around spring/summer 2019.