Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has greenlit Viva L.A. at Warner Center, a significant affordable senior housing project slated to add nearly 3,200 units in Woodland Hills. City officials say this development is the largest project approved to date under Bass’s Executive Directive 1, an initiative designed to expedite the approval process for 100% affordable housing developments.
The proposed Viva L.A. development, spanning approximately 2 million square feet, aims to create a high-density senior housing campus. Proponents highlight the project's potential to address both the shortage of affordable housing and the needs of Los Angeles' rapidly aging population. Mayor Bass emphasized the directive's role in cutting bureaucratic red tape to accelerate housing solutions.
"From day one, I’ve focused on cutting red tape and creating faster, more predictable approvals so we can start solving our affordability crisis," Bass stated. "Viva L.A. at Warner Center will provide nearly 3,200 units of affordable senior housing, our largest Executive Directive 1 project to date."
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, whose district includes the Warner Center, credited the project's advancement to a combination of Bass's executive order and the Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan, which he helped develop over a decade ago. "Viva L.A. at Warner Center will become a transformative investment in the West San Fernando Valley," Blumenfield said. "This project expands affordable housing options for our aging population while making meaningful progress in addressing our housing crisis."
Developers involved in the project suggest it challenges conventional models for assisted living. George Kutnerian, co-founder and CEO of Wellpointe Inc., noted that affordable assisted living is often built in sprawling suburban areas, whereas this project emphasizes density and proximity to transit, shopping, and healthcare. "Viva rejects that premise," Kutnerian said. "Affordable housing, paired with assisted living services as needed, can be delivered at the scale and density that California’s aging population actually needs."
The announcement has generated public discussion, with some online commentators expressing concerns about the scale of the development and its potential community impact. Others have questioned the focus on senior housing over units for younger adults struggling with high rents. Conversely, many have defended the project, pointing to seniors as one of the fastest-growing homeless demographics in Los Angeles and noting that many live on fixed incomes. Supporters also suggest that freeing up existing housing through senior relocation could benefit younger families by increasing overall housing supply.
The Viva L.A. project still requires further planning and construction phases before residents can occupy the units. The mayor's office reports that approximately 47,000 affordable housing units are currently in development pipelines under Executive Directive 1.