The Arroyo Affordable Housing Tour

The Arroyo Affordable Housing Tour

Housing is organized around a big backyard to support young families. The design of the building traces the path of a long-gone “arroyo”, creating a main courtyard with various communal amenities for 64 affordable units.

The developers of a nearby market-rate project (500 Broadway) worked with Community Corporation of Santa Monica to create a plan for city required affordable housing, either on-site or off. Community Corporation saw a need for large family, very low income (30% AMI) housing, which operates more effectively as an independent, mutually supportive community.

Architect: KoningEizenberg Architecture
Owner: Community Corporation of Santa Monica
Contractor: Morley Builders
Civil Engineer: Barbara L Hall, PE, Inc
Landscape Architect: Steve Billings Landscape Architecture
Structural Engineer: John Labib + Associates
Mechanical & Plumbing Engineer: Khalifeh and Associates
Electrical Engineer: OMB Electrical Engineers
Sustainability: Green Dinosaur
Hardware: Finish Hardware Technology
Specifications: AWC West
Acoustical: Veneklasen Associates
Lighting: Oculus Lighting Studio

Tour Led By:

• Nathan Bishop, AIA, LEED AP – Principal, KoningEizenberg Architecture
• Tara Barauskas – Executive Director, Community Corporation of Santa Monica
• Juan Galván – Assistant Project Manager, Community Corporation of Santa Monica

Nathan Bishop, AIA, LEED AP – Principal, KoningEizenberg Architecture

Nathan Bishop, AIA, LEED AP combines rigorous design thinking and empathy to propel the kind of innovative thinking, critical conversation, and spirit of inquiry which is key to KoningEizenberg’s culture. Nathan joined the firm in 2005, and became a Principal in 2011. Drawing on exceptional visualization and communication skills to quickly extract the unrecognized potential of complex urban contexts through strategy and form, Nathan has expanded the firm’s design capacity and integrated new technologies into design and practice. He teaches and lectures in design, architectural history and theory, and cultural studies, and has served on the Board of Directors for the LA Forum for Art and Architecture. His interest in learning environments for all ages inspired his tenure as President of the Board of his local preschool, Hill & Dale, where he set expectations for leadership, organization, and goals for long-term growth.

Tara Barauskas – Executive Director, Community Corporation of Santa Monica

Tara Barauskas is the Executive Director of Community Corporation of Santa Monica, a nonprofit affordable housing owner and development organization based in Santa Monica, California. In this role she oversees the functional areas of the organization, including management of 1,700 units of affordable housing, housing development, resident services, maintenance and administration of 80 staff. Prior to joining Community Corp, Ms. Barauskas was the Director of Housing for A Community of Friends, a nonprofit permanent supportive housing owner and developer in Los Angeles. In that capacity she oversaw the development of numerous affordable housing projects in LA, Orange County and Inland Empire. Prior to this role, she worked for a for-profit affordable housing development company, developing affordable housing projects throughout the state of California. Ms. Barauskas holds a Bachelors Degree in English from California State University, Long Beach, and a LEED AP Accreditation from the US Green Building Council. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for SCANPH, a nonprofit membership organization that advocates for effective affordable housing policy throughout Southern California.

Juan Galván – Assistant Project Manager, Community Corporation of Santa Monica

Juan Galvan is an Assistant Project Manager at Community Corporation of SantaMonica. He has been at Community Corp. since May of 2017. During this time, he has managed five different affordable housing projects ranging from rehabilitation construction to new construction. Juan has overseen the development/redevelopment of 146 units of affordable housing. Prior to joining Community Corporation, Juan interned at permanent supportive developer Skid Row Housing Trust, and Bay Area based affordable housing developer Eden Housing. Juan received his Master’s in Urban Planning with an emphasis in Economic Development and a Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development from the USC Price School.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Eric Staudenmaier