Los Angeles is filled to the brim, quite literally, with single family homes.
We're walled off by gates and driveways, fenced in backyards keep us separated from our neighbors. Now, a development company called Local Construct hopes to create a new kind of community within L.A. that they're calling a microneighborhood.
"The name Blackbirds actually comes from the rooflines that we have if you look at the elevation from outside of this home it looks like a silhouette of a bird," says Casey Lynch one of the developers on the project. "And when you're inside the home you can see these really interesting high ceiling volumes that provide really nice open light and airy spaces."
They've build a cluster of 18 new homes, permitted as part the city's Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance, which allows for several smaller homes on a single property. They were designed by local architect Barbara Bestor.
They're expected to sell for between $795,000 - $1,100,000. And their sizes range from about 1500 square feet to more than a couple thousand.
Perched on top of a tall hill overlooking Echo Park, the homes go on sale this weekend.
Alex Cohen spoke with Lynch about the impact that these houses have on Echo Park, whether this is gentrification and the types of people he expects to buy the homes.
To hear the whole interview click on the audio embedded above.
If you'd like to see additional photos of the housing project, you can check them out here and here.