PALMDALE – The City of Palmdale has unveiled plans to create new veterans-preferred housing on a six acre parcel of land on the corner of 10th St. East and Ave. Q-11 and Q-12 as part of what is known as the “Courson Connection.”
Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford made the announcement at the State of the City Address held at the Antelope Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday Aug. 5 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Palmdale.
The new “Courson Arts Colony” will include 182 units of studio and 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, and several art-themed amenities.
“It will definitely have an arts flavor to it,” Ledford told the audience. “It will feature an art gallery, art walk, outdoor amphitheater, performing arts studio, art lab and a pool.”
The pool is planned to replace the old pool at Courson Park, which has been closed due to the need for major repairs and the downturn in the economy after the 2008 Great Recession.
“I can only imagine the positive impact a housing complex like this will have within our veteran community, “Ledford said. “It will be multi-generational and will appeal to a single person as well as to someone with a family.”
Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in late 2015 and be completed in late 2017. The project will cost approximately $42 million and will be funded by earmarked housing funds and tax credits.
For more information, please call the City of Palmdale’s Neighborhood Services Department at 661-256-5126.
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bird says
This sounds like a wonderful, positive endeavor! The Veterans home in Lancaster, and this veterans preferred “Courson Arts Colony”, it just keeps getting better. If I’m still around, I might consider living there, and then when I need assistance to get through the day I will move over to the Veterans home.
D says
Will it be safe for the Vets to go for a walk in that area? It’s pretty rough over there.
Eric says
Maybe not for the POGs; us Infantrymen will be fine.
Nikolas says
I love the concept! And happy to see an effort being made to support our Vets. :-)
But why is this being built on 10th East…? And not over near the Metrolink station and eventual stop for the High Speed Rail in Palmdale?
These city planners have done a horrible job over the last 30 years. Suburban sprawl, less-dense building, spread out shopping, not walkable or bike-able, homes not within walking/biking distance of places to work, etc.
With the HSR happening (albeit slowly), we need to plan for the future. That area within a 1 mile radius of the HSR station is going to be PRIMO land in about 10-15 years. And then add on top of that the Desert Express stop to Barstow and Vegas AND the new “highway” they plan to tie in to the 14 at Ave. P-8.
Just throwing this out there….
William says
@Nikolas
If you thought it through, you might realize that not everything can all be build in one place, for crying out. You complain about shopping being spread out while others complain that eveything is concentrated near the Mall and they live on the east side.
Which is it? The housing around the transportation center is designed for young commuters who will use the Metrolink and HSR. Are the veterans, if they are retired, going to be commuting to work?
How on earth can you build thousands of homes next to where people work when many homeowners in the AV commute down below? Many new homeowners want homes about from businesses such as in Quartz Hill.
Do you really think that people who will travel to Las Vegas need to live in housing right next to the transportation center?
Practically everything you wrote is ridiculous, if you spent any time thinking about it. Maybe they should build thousands of homes next to the airport in case someone wants to fly to Denver when it’s operational again.
Unbelievable.
Scott Pelka says
Palmdale brings us housing for Vets… Lancaster brings us an eye in the sky that still doesn’t justify itself.
Turd Ferguson says
LEAPS is a joke.LEAPS is a joke.For $90,000.00 a month we could help veterans.$90,000.00 a month we could help veterans.Hire them to be Sherriffs.Hire them to be Sherriffs.We need more Sherriffs.We need more Sherriffs.We dont need LEAPS.We dont need LEAPS.Over a million dollars a year for LEAPS.Over a million dollars a year for LEAPS.For 10 years.For 10 years.For what?For what?To catch Walmart shoplifters?To catch Walmart shoplifters?Make Walmart pay for its security.Make Walmart pay for its security.No to LEAPS.No to LEAPS.Yes to Sherriffs.Yes to Sherriffs.More boots on the ground.More boots on the ground.
Frank Rizzo says
It says veteran preferred, means anyone can live there. I doubt it will do anything to help vets. Looks like a nice housing scam set up between construction contractors and dirty politicians to make cash. A nice sell to the public exploit vets for a dirty hippy arts colony. Nice Job Palmdale, at least Lancaster Does have a real veterans home.
AV Truth says
Yup. A real veterans home named after a real supporter of veterans, former Palmdale Mayor Pete Knight. Think you’ll ever see a veterans home named after our current mayor of Lancaster? Not unless he buys it. Maybe the two American Legion Branches he’s suing here in the AV will rename their posts after him as part of the settlement.
Tom says
Frankie my boy your 100% right. ‘VETERAN PERFERRED.’
Delaina says
I can’t begin to explain how thrilled I am to finally be hearing about something being built for our vets. I wish more of our hard earned tax dollars went to vets weather its housing,medical,and therapy. they deserve more than any person just laying around collecting money because they gave birth and don’t want to work and earn their money ! in y eyes those vets earned it all !!
William says
Sounds fantastic. Not just apartments but a lot more.
Larry Conedy says
Thank for thinking of and supporting veterans.
QHR says
This is great. Now let’s get a real VA clinic/hospital near by.
Matt K. says
It would be great if someone at the VA could talk to the county about converting the old High Desert Hospital on 60th Street West to a VA hospital.
Great Idea ! says
Matt K – that’s a GREAT idea. My husband has to travel either to the Sepulveda center in SF Valley or to Westwood for VA health care. Lately, however, they have been sending him to private doctors up here since they are taking so much heat about wait times. But converting the old High Desert Hospital on 60th W to a VA clinic (at least) is an idea worth looking at. Maybe a telephone call to our LA County Supervisor, Mike Antonovich would be in order. Or our local Congressman or even state Assemblyman Steve Fox.
William says
@Great idea!
They should change the VA so that they send veterans to any doctor they want at government expense and use veterans hospitals for specialized treatment for injuries directly related to their service because they do that very well.
Does a veteran have to go to a veteran’s hospital for a gall bladder surgery? They need to redesign the whole system.
It’s just an old system that needs to be updated.
I worked in a VA hosptial for a few months in Martinez up in the East Bay. Some things about it were very good and some things weren’t. That was back in the late 70s, though.
I don’t know what the cost difference would be for the government to pay for a veteran to see a private doctor or one in an HMO as if he were a Medicare patient compared to the bureaucracy in the VA hospitals. It might even be less costly to send them to private physicians and hospitals and reduce the overhead of the VA system which could then be dedicated to highly specialized military type injuries and rehabilitation.
And, it would have health care located near to where veterans live instead of long distances. The current system isn’t very smart. Change is difficult. Look at how people freaked out over the ACA.
But, that would be like turning an aircraft carrier on a dime.
A country that can spend a billion dollar$ on Valentine’s Day candy and even more at Halloween can spend whatever it takes on the health care of its veterans. Hey, maybe we should add a special tax on those kinds of things (holiday candy) dedicated to veterans’ health care. You’ve seen companies say for every dollar you spend with them they send 10 cents to some charity or good cause, such as breast cancer research.
Audrey Conedy says
Very much needed for Vets.