Community Profiles

Located diagonally across from Metro’s new Gold Line Light Rail Mariachi Plaza Station, the Santa Cecilia Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)* is an affordable, mixed-use development that epitomizes the best of TOD design principals. The four-story structure creates density and a sense of place in the previously vacant lot facing the historic Mariachi Plaza. It also provides for a mix of uses, with both apartments and commercial space, and encourages mode shift through ample bike parking, new sidewalks, and a transit pass provided to each head of household to reduce transportation cost burdens.

The $32.6 million development has 80 affordable apartment homes with one-, two-, and three-bedrooms, and has 3,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The apartments include flats and larger townhomes and are wrapped around a variety of open space amenities, including private balconies and three courtyards. Eighty parking spaces are provided in an underground structure.

Partners in the development included McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc., the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the City of Los Angeles, New Economics for Women, and the State of California. Equity was provided by US Bancorp Community Development Corporation. Local and state contribution was $6.7 million with equity coming in at $23.5 million. DE Architects designed Santa Cecilia and it is managed by McCormack Baron Management, Inc.

As a proponent of public art, McCormack Baron Salazar commissioned a public artwork, consisting of two 5’-0” wide x 30’-0” tall steel panels for the building’s main corner façade, that were designed and installed by local artist, Paul Botello. The mural commemorates the mariachis for which Mariachi Plaza is known and their patron saint, Santa Cecilia.

*Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a type of community development that is located near high-quality public transportation and that includes a mixture of housing, office, retail and other amenities integrated into a walkable neighborhood.