GLENDALE, CA—Meta Housing Corp. has broken ground on the Glendale Arts Colony, a $32 million affordable housing project in Glendale, CA. The 70-unit multifamily development will target artists and families in need of affordable housing, and will create an “arts colony” in the city.

“This project expands on the idea of using art as a tool for economic and community development by placing artists at the very center of both, to ensure that this community is a place where art is created and not just sold, resulting in community revitalization, through quality, affordable living options,” Michelle Coulter, the project manager for Glendale Arts Colony, tells GlobeSt.com.

Located at 121 N. Kenwood Street in Glendale, the Glendale Arts Colony will stand five stories next to a 54,000-square-foot YMCA building. It will be built to LEED-Silver certification, and will have a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes. The property will feature 8,430 square feet of community space, which will include a sculpture garden, a digital media lab, an idea lab and outdoor artist work desks. The property will also have ample outdoor spaces for tenants, like a community garden and barbeque area.

The project is Meta Housing Corp.'s fifth arts colony development. It is being built as part of the existing 2.2-acre YMCA campus, and as such, is a partnership between Meta Housing Corp., the City of Glendale, the YMCA of Glendale and Western Community Housing. According to Kasey Burke, Meta Housing Corp. president, the partnership between these entities will help to expand Glendale's footprint and the growing arts and entertainment district in the city. Glendale is indeed hitting a growth spurt. Next to Downtown Los Angeles, it has the second most multifamily projects underway in the Los Angeles submarket.

“Glendale is an ideal location for this type of development based on its need for affordable housing and its bourgeoning Arts & Entertainment District. This project will be located within a region that is on the cusp of economic and community development,” says Coulter. “By developing within this region, we are able to place artists in the center of a growing arts community, while ensuring that they can afford to enjoy the benefits of revitalization.”

This is one of five projects that Meta Housing Corp. currently has underway and nine more in pre-production. Last year it delivered several projects, including a $32.4 million senior housing development in San Clemente.