• 25% of the construction hours worked will be performed by low-income residents of Elysian Valley and other LA River-adjacent communities
• Two-thirds of permanent jobs are expected to pay living wages or better
• The campus will favor locally-owned businesses and provide discounted rent to at least one local nonprofit organization
• An advisory council will be established to provide input in the developer's selection of retail tenants, in an effort to best serve local community needs
• The project will fully embrace and engage the LA River and adjacent bike/walking path, through welcoming architectural and urban design features, open spaces, and native plantings
• A state-of-the-art stormwater capture, treatment, and re-use system will reduce the quantity, and improve the quality, of stormwater discharged into the LA River
• The developer will reinvest a portion of its profits into a Community Benefits Fund, which will establish additional community benefits above and beyond those indicated above

Genesis LA hopes the project can be a case study for equitable growth in Frogtown and other communities where new investment and development are occurring at a rapid pace. Visit http://www.elysianvalleycampus.com/ for more information on the Elysian Valley Riverfront Campus.

The much awaited LA Prep project, a small business center for food businesses, has opened its doors in Lincoln Heights and recently welcomed the Genesis LA family for an inside look. The project redeveloped a 64,000 sq. ft. warehouse into a modern facility housing more than 50 small-and-mid-sized food businesses. LA Prep offers "turn-key" kitchens, providing businesses with nearly immediate occupancy and lowering the barriers to entry for businesses that are expanding into new markets. The project is the first of its kind and the first in Los Angeles County to provide a wholesale license to the entire facility, thus giving the businesses located at LA Prep access to more and larger markets to sell their goods. LA Prep has helped businesses lower start-up costs and provide flexible space for growth. The facility also hosts LA Kitchen, a social enterprise that provides training and employment to hard-to-employ individuals while also preparing healthy and affordable meals for low-income seniors.

Genesis LA had the pleasure of touring the new facility and tasting the unique foods and beverages some of the tenants have to offer. We were joined by our Board of Directors, our Community Advisory Board and our partners from The California Endowment, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, ProAmerica Bank, Union Bank, Community Bank, and the California Organized Investment Network (group photo above). Genesis LA also thanks its partners in financing this project, which include: Capital Impact Partners, Raza Development Fund, and The California Endowment all as co-lenders, and LA Development Fund and Urban America which provided New Markets Tax Credit allocation. Visit http://www.laprep.la/#make-it-real for more on LA Prep.