Griffins Structures breaks ground on first $32 million phase of $1 billion Jordan Downs redevelopment

Griffins Structures, Inc. has broken ground on the first phase of a $1 billion revitalization of the Jordan Downs community in Watts.

The contractor is serving as construction manager for Phase 1A, the initial $32 million residential component.

“We’ve got a housing crisis. We need to build more units, and that starts right here, right now, today,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. “Current Jordan Down residents will be able to move into these beautiful new residences . . . and we’re not just building more housing, we’re building a community.”

The 60-acre master-planned Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles development is based on a mixed-use urban village concept, will serve to enhance the greater Watts community.

Griffin says the first phase includes 115 multifamily units in 12 buildings as well as seven smaller accessory buildings for neighborhood storage and services. “The project is designed to meet LEED-ND (Neighborhood Development) standards; providing walkable neighborhoods, recreation opportunities, access to mass transit options, proximity to employment opportunities and inviting, shaded streetscapes,” the contractors says on its website.

The construction schedule ensures that current Jordan Downs residents will be not be displaced, even temporarily. The initial phase is being constructed on undeveloped, parcels, adjacent to original Jordan Downs properties, allowing residents to move into new units as they are completed.

The existing 700 Jordan Downs housing units were originally built to house industrial workers during World War II. The buildings were converted to affordable housing units in the mid-1950s.

BRIDGE Housing and The Michaels Organization are developing the residential neighborhoods. When completed, the Jordan Downs revitalization project will encompass 1,400 residential units, the extension of Century Blvd., a community center, park space, and as much as 250,000 sq. ft. of retail and commercial uses providing jobs, services and retail opportunities.