With modular housing proving to be a well-timed option for Palisades and Eaton fire victims, Los Angeles officials and SoLa Impact are looking to bring production of those units closer to the city.
The Los Angeles City Council voted to enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement with locally based developer SoLa Impact to explore the creation of a modular housing manufacturing facility in South Los Angeles, Urbanize Los Angeles reported.
The City of Los Angeles purchased the 9-acre site at 10900-10931 South Clovis Avenue in 1993 after 50 years of the site being used as a maintenance, storage and sign-painting yard by the California Department of Transportation. The property underwent soil mediation more than a decade ago.
In March 2025, the city put out a request for proposals to develop the site, with SoLa Impact submitting the winning plan. SoLa’s proposal, dubbed “The Honeycomb,” calls for redeveloping the property with a 175,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for the company’s modular housing units, which are built by its subsidiary Model/Z. The property would also host offices, a vocational school, a tech center and public open space with rooftop solar panels powering the buildings.
SoLa Impact has faced questions about its operations in recent months, and the firm must still get final approvals. It appears to have the backing of a key elected official, however, with City Council president Marqueece Harris-Dawson expressing support of the project and submitting a letter urging his colleagues to approve the exclusive negotiating agreement prior to the vote.
The planned Honeycomb campus is slated to mirror Model/Z’s existing manufacturing facility down the street at 740 East 111th Place. That site began operations in January 2024 and employs more than 300 full-time workers, according to Urbanize.
SoLa Impact, meanwhile, is building modular affordable housing elsewhere in South Los Angeles. Last year, it landed a $34.8 million construction loan to erect a five-story building with 188 affordable apartments at 4301 Vermont Avenue. Of the prefabricated modular units, 80 percent would be set aside for low-income households and 20 percent would be for moderate-income residents.
— Chris Malone Méndez
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