Abode Communities is moving forward with its proposal to construct a new affordable housing complex in Boyle Heights, as the project heads to the Los Angeles City Planning Commission next week.

The project, known as La Veranda, would replace a surface parking lot and two portable trailers near the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Soto Street with a pair of four-story buildings, featuring 77 residential units and 8,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.  With the exception of a manager's unit, all of the apartments would be designated for low-income households.

An in-house architect for Abode is designing the low-rise buildings, with open space and greenery by AHBE Landscape Architects.  Plans call for a number of outdoor communal spaces, including a children's play area, a jogging path and a garden for residents.

La Veranda is planned for Metro-owned properties, as part of the agency's joint-development program through the Eastside Gold Line.  A similar development has already been completed at Mariachi Plaza Station, and another is under construction at Soto Station.

Abode is one of Los Angeles' most prolific builders of affordable housing, with a portfolio that includes the 140-unit redevelopment of the Rolland Curtis Gardens apartments and the 176-unit revamp of the Dana Strand complex in Wilmington.