Vision

A vibrant, cohesive, and supportive residential neighborhood for homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families on the North Campus of the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus. In keeping with the spirit of the original 1888 conveyance and the vision of the Draft Master Plan, the West Los Angeles Community Plan envisions a Veteran-serving neighborhood that will provide a space for collective impact and collaboration between the West LA Veterans Collective, VA staff, local stakeholders, and Veteran community partners in order to aggressively combat the daunting crisis facing the nearly 4,000 homeless Veterans in Los Angeles County.

Campus Composite

Discover what we’re planning as the West LA Veterans Collective

Legend

Community

Phase 00 – 238 Homes

Phase 01 – 678 Homes

Phase 02 – 423 Homes

Phase 03 – 254 Homes

Phase 04 – 98 Homes

Phase 00

The initial phase of development precedes completion of the Community Plan, whose projects were considered as part of a focused Environmental Review for restoration and adaptive reuse of four historic structures. Buildings 205, 207, 208, and 209 in the North Village area are being historically restored and converted into Permanent Supportive Housing for over 200 Veterans. While the three buildings surrounding the historic quad’s open space are being developed outside of the Community Plan scope, the process of having the Principal Development Team design and develop Building 207 is providing valuable insight and guidance throughout the planning process.

Phase 0 work also includes the creation of a new main branch for utilities along Bonsall Avenue to serve the North Village area, upgrading half-century old infrastructure. A portion of those utilities will enter the VA Campus via Constitution Avenue, while the remaining will enter from the west along Pershing Avenue. Phase 0 begins circulation improvements to accessibility, while expanding convenient vehicle and bicycle parking for residents and visitors.

Phase 01

The first phase of the Community Plan continues to build the North Village area of the VA Campus – restoring and adaptively reusing the remaining vacant contributing structures within the Historic Landmark District, while beginning to redeveloping under-utilize parking lots and open spaces. Buildings 156, 157, 158, and 300 will be included within this phase along with a half dozen new buildings, collectively providing 600 homes for 700 Veterans.

New amenities and services will be introduced in the North Village area as part of Phase 1, focusing on wellness and creative outlets. This will include the creation of pedestrian and bicycle trails in and around the North Village, construction of an amphitheater, and enhancements to the historic Brentwood Theater. Phase 1 will continue to upgrade infrastructure throughout the North Village area, including changes to modernize utilities and stormwater management facilities, and upgrades to multiple roadways.

Phase 02

The second phase of the community plan focuses on the South Village and the creation of a Veterans Plaza, while establishing physical and programmatic connections between the North and South Villages. The majority of the 440 permanent supportive homes in this phase will be constructed in new buildings, with the remaining balance being created within buildings 13, 210, and 256. Completion of Phase 2 would meet the Master Plan program goal of creating homes for at-risk or homeless Veterans.

New open spaces and amenities would focus on creating a heart for the Veteran-serving neighborhood in and around the Veterans Plaza, with Building 13 hosting Town Hall-like functions. Additional services and amenities will be located on the ground floor of the new buildings, lining the north side of the new Pershing Avenue. Additional infrastructure improvements will include enhancements to Grant Avenue, and restoring and re-purposing the Old Barracks into a living museum and the Streetcar Depot into a shuttle service hub.

Phase 03

The third phase of development largely focuses on redeveloping the research building cluster between Dewey Avenue and the western boundary of the VA property. After the proposed development of new research facilities on the South campus is completed, the site current site is to be cleared for future redevelopment. Phase three would include building three new multi-family buildings in the relatively same location as the current buildings in order to maintain a consistent urban form, while adding 254 additional permanent supportive homes for Veterans.

Phase 3 also includes reconstruction of portions of Dewey and Eisenhower Avenues, as well as the extensions of Grant Avenue as a complete street with sidewalks, parkways, and street parking. The new buildings will all share a large central green space that also helps integrate the recently restored and adaptively reused Building 116.

Phase 04

The Community Plan’s fourth phase includes the adaptive reuse of the remaining historic structures in the North Village area including Buildings 206 and 257. After their programs and services have been integrated into previously refurbished and new buildings within the Veterans Plaza area, the two buildings will provide 94 additional Veteran-serving permanent supportive homes. As most of the roadways and open spaces in the North Village will have been improved as part of the initial phases’ associate off-site improvements, neighborhood enhancements in Phase 4 will focus updating amenities based on evolving community needs.

Mission

The West Los Angeles Veterans Collective is deeply committed to the successful transition of military Veterans and their families through the provision of service-enriched housing that promotes recovery, wellness, and a more hopeful future.

Core Values

Advocate

Champion the universal right of all Veterans to live in quality, affordable housing.

Serve

Assemble holistic and comprehensive services, amenities, and housing that help anchor Veterans in a home and community.

Nurture

Support Veterans’ mental, physical, and emotional health by meeting them where they are, while promoting the development of a therapeutic community that benefits from safety, livability, and connectivity.

Engage

Contribute to a healing and thriving community where Veterans have ample opportunity to share their talents as supportive peers and empowered community leaders.

Restore

Build neighborhoods that honor Veterans service by preserving the historic and natural environment of the community – shaping it into an environmentally and culturally vibrant place.

Embrace Equity

Develop and exercise polices that promote consistency, fairness, and justice to ensure community stability, social cohesion, and housing retention.

Collaborate

Embrace Veterans, stakeholders, and partners with shared values, insight, and respect to collaboratively serve the interests and needs of the diverse community.

Sustain

Ensure the long-term fiscal health, viability, and success of the community through strong operations and community programs.

Learn

Foster a learning environment that leverages collective experience, while promoting innovation, flexibility, and appreciation for the contributions made by all.

Respect

Uphold President Lincoln’s promise “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan…” which underpins the mission of the VA. Honor and respect our Veterans in all that we do.

Urban Design Strategies

While the West Los Angeles Veterans Community Plan provides certain intentionality within the Mission, Vision, and Principles, the Urban Design Strategies provide guidance as to how the plan manifests and as each of the elements are designed, constructed, and managed.

Establish Order

Create sense of hierarchy, orientation, and monumentality across the community by strengthening the historic organizational structures through building, landscape, and environmental graphic design.

Assemble Harmony

Restore the architectural heritage of the community while continuing to build textural synergy among the growing collection of high-quality, diverse design styles and typologies.

Build Critical Mass

Cluster development, uses, and infrastructure improvements to build a critical mass of activity, services, and amenities within the community. Be thoughtful on phasing, focusing development on areas that can be fully claimed, built out, and utilized.

Connect Within and Beyond

Foster physical connections both within the VA community and beyond into the surrounding communities where appropriate. Create meaningful gathering places where community can be brought together.

Improve Open Spaces and Mobility

The most common mode of transportation on Campus was cited as walking. Ensure that the large Campus is more easily navigable, keeping in mind those with physical limitations. Create an open space and transportation network that takes into account the impact of the I-405 Freeway and Wilshire Boulevard on Campus.

Create Monumentally Modest Neighborhoods

Enhance the civic design and architecture of the West LA VA community through historic preservation, new construction, monuments, public art, and landscape design.

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Vision

Campus Composite

Mission

Core Values

Advocate

Serve

Nurture

Engage

Restore

Embrace Equity

Collaborate

Sustain

Learn

Respect

Urban Design Strategies

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