Big-box wholesaler Costco is developing a mixed-use complex aimed at making a dent in the affordable housing crisis.
The company plans to open a new store in South Los Angeles, partnering with developer Thrive Living and builder AO to build an 800-unit apartment complex, with 184 units set aside for affordable housing.
The club, a large warehouse-style store, announced in a press release early last year that the mixed-use retail and residential project will be built in Baldwin Village by developer Thrive Living and builder AO.
Costco did not immediately respond to a reporter’s request for comment.
A representative for Thrive Living told The Washington Post it’s unclear when construction on the project will begin or finish.
“The planning and land use system in California and Los Angeles is a Rube Goldberg machine,” housing activist Joe Cohen told SFGATE, “and this project lays that machine on full display.”
The mixed-use complex will be built on five vacant acres that were previously a hospital.
Plans include a gym, multi-purpose space, gardens, a rooftop pool, landscaping and a large parking lot, according to a press release.
“It has small units lined up along long corridors and a huge recreation center as an amenity space,” Cohen told SFGATE. “From the front, it looks like an old-school prison design.”
in Posted on X earlier this month The video has garnered attention, with nearly three million views, leading Cohen to speculate that Costco may have added the apartment building idea to its plans for a big-box store on the site in an effort to avoid Los Angeles’ lengthy and expensive site review process.
He told SFGATE that under state law, at least two-thirds of the planned 185,000 square feet must be devoted to housing in order for Costco to enjoy a faster and cheaper construction process.
Perhaps even more striking than the site’s so-called “prison design” is its construction method: using prefabricated apartment modules that can be loaded onto the site from trucks — another way to keep the project on time and relatively cheap.
The Costco store itself is no joke: According to SFGATE, it’ll be located near public transportation and will include a multi-level underground parking garage, a pharmacy, an optical store, and more.
“Mayor Bass has declared a housing crisis in Los Angeles and we are answering her call,” said Thrive Living’s Jordan Brill in a statement included in the press release. “We are focused on addressing Los Angeles’ severe housing affordability crisis while also attracting retailers willing to commit to long-term commitments.”
