A Costco with 800 apartments on top is coming to Los Angeles. Here’s what we know

If you've ever wanted to live in an apartment above a Costco, you'll soon have the chance to do so in California.

Last fall, ground was broken on a mixed-use project in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of L.A., based on a plan to set up a Costco on the ground floor with 800 apartments above it.

Of those 800 apartments, 184 are intended to be set aside for multiple levels of low-income housing, while the rest will be "non-subsidized affordable and workforce housing, serving households around the 120% to 150% AMI levels."

"This is the first mixed-use project in the nation to have Costco as an anchor tenant, helping the project provide a strong housing-jobs-retail mix for the community," said Ben Shaoul, founder of Thrive Living, the real estate firm developing the project.

Los Angeles' affordable housing concerns

Los Angeles has struggled with ways to provide affordable housing amid constantly rising rents. Ballot measures addressing these issues have previously been plagued by confusion, if not outright disinformation campaigns. 

This particular development, however, is the result of AB 2011, the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act, which went into effect in 2023.

"This is truly a game changer for us and a huge investment in the community," Brenda Ashby, an executive committee member of the Crenshaw Manor Community Association, previously told NBC Los Angeles. "We are excited to have quality groceries close to home, in addition to all of the other services Costco provides."

Everyone wants to live above Costco

Although building upwards and placing apartments on top of retail stores is a common practice in many cities, large retail chains are far more likely to be freestanding or part of shopping centers in Los Angeles.

That said, many across social media have expressed excitement about both more housing and the prospect of being so close to a Costco.

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