Reese Davidson Community will include 140 units of affordable and supportive housing, 50 percent for formerly homeless households, 25 percent for low-income artists, and 25 percent for other low-income households. The site will also have a community arts center, small scale retail, public parking, residential and commercial parking, wide setbacks from the sidewalk, various open and green spaces, and multiple opportunities for public art.  There will be 8 full-time staff, 4 of whom will live on-site, providing the capacity for 24-hour staff coverage.  The height of the residential buildings vary from one to three stories and there will be a taller feature to define the corner of North Venice Blvd. and Pacific Ave

The new housing, arts and community components, and overall revitalization of this site will honor two contributors to the history and culture of Venice:   Arthur Reese and Rick Davidson.  Arthur Reese worked in multiple ways to found and build Venice in the early 1900s, including as the lead decorator of buildings and attractions, helping to establish Venice’s unique style. He was also the first African American homeowner in the neighborhood.  Rick Davidson was among the founders of Venice Community Housing, and was a tireless advocate, architect and artist working toward an equitable Venice, region, and world.   Additionally, we will honor longtime Venice resident and artist Gregory Hines by establishing the Gregory Hines Community Arts Center.   We are thrilled to be honoring the amazing and varied contributions of these three community leaders.

 

Our team continues to work to develop our final land use and planning proposal for the City’s approval process, the Neighborhood Council and other public meetings.  As this site is City-owned, requires land use amendments, and is a close partnership with the Department of Transportation to preserve and improve all public parking, the process has taken longer than originally expected.