The county Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted to move into the technical planning phase of a years-long project to convert the Los Angeles General Hospital campus in Boyle Heights into a “Healthy Village” of wellness services, housing and other neighborhood amenities.
As part of the action spurred by Supervisor Hilda Solis, the county approved roughly $3.3 million in funding for a development team known as Centennial Partners to conduct the planning effort, which will include a thorough survey and analysis of land use at the campus, environmental conditions, engineering, transportation and parking.
“This historic project is about preserving our past while investing in our future,” Solis said in a statement following the vote. “We are creating a community space that prioritizes housing, health care, sustainability and dignity for our most vulnerable. The General Hospital has long been a symbol of healing, and through this effort, it will continue to serve as a beacon of hope and opportunity.”
The motion approved unanimously by the board also directed county staff to apply to have the art-deco building added to the National Register of Historic Places, a move Solis said could free up preservation funding and tax credits to assist with the overall project cost.
The building opened in 1934 and operated until it suffered structural damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
“This moment has been years in the making,” Rosa Soto, executive director of The Wellness Center at General Hospital, said in a statement. “From the beginning, we’ve brought community voices to the table — not just to be heard, but to shape what this space becomes. The Healthy Village is a vision born from our community members’ lived experiences, and this next phase is a powerful step toward making that vision real: housing that’s affordable, care that’s accessible, and a place where our families can truly thrive.”