| Affordable housing won’t go to the dogs in the wake of redevelopment’s demise. Not if Alan Scales, studio director of Irvine-based KTGY Group, has a say. (If he were a superhero we could call him The Scales of Justice.) Alan tells us they’re just a few weeks away from getting building permits for The Whittier, a 60-unit affordable family project. Construction to start shortly thereafter. |
| The project is being developed by Retirement Housing Foundation. As funding sources become more limited, Alan says, the same number of projects are still moving forward; but in many cases the communities are getting smaller—sometimes down to 12 units. “We’re fortunate to work with some creative developers that have an ability to financially engineer these deals.” There’s also more comprehensive rehab work in the affordable arena than in the past. From conceptual design through construction, the firm has a couple dozen affordable projects under way in California. (Alan's dog agrees with KTGY's strategy; then again, if you have bacon she can be an easy sell.) |
| The Whittier will be built at 3551-3565 Whittier Blvd in LA. Alan’s also excited about the use of prefab modular construction in affordable design, which provides the ability to deliver homes more quickly, with better quality control (through shop fabrication)—and, it saves money. You might build two-unit modules in a shop setting, ship them out via truck, and assemble them on site—stacking them side by side and on top of each other. Beyond quality control, it minimizes the waste that one might see with traditional on site fabrication work. “In the end, we’re providing more units for less, and since there’s less to work with from the get-go, it seems to be penciling.” Outside work, the dad of two spends quite a bit of time on the softball and soccer fields and enjoys playing guitar after the kids go to bed. |
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