A nonprofit that has served Santa Monica families for decades wants to tear down its mental health and family support center near Memorial Park and build housing in its place.

Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services has proposed demolishing its buildings at 1533 and 1539 Euclid St. and constructing two two-story structures containing six three-bedroom apartments, according to the Santa Monica Mirror. The organization has scheduled two community meetings before filing any formal planning application with the city.

The first meeting is set for Monday, July 13, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for the 1533 Euclid St. property. A second meeting covering 1539 Euclid St. is scheduled for Thursday, July 16, at 6 p.m.

No formal application has been filed with the City of Santa Monica. The meetings represent a pre-application outreach phase, giving neighbors a chance to ask questions and raise concerns before any permit process begins.

What's planned

Each of the two buildings would contain three apartments, all with three-bedroom floor plans, sharing a subterranean parking garage beneath the complex, according to plans reported by Urbanize Los Angeles. Renderings from AUX Architecture show two-story gray stucco buildings with native landscaping at the street level.

The site sits immediately north of the Metro E Line light rail right-of-way on Colorado Avenue, adjacent to Memorial Park.

The organization

Vista Del Mar, headquartered at 3200 Motor Ave. in Los Angeles, was founded in 1908 as what the organization describes as the first cottage-style orphanage in Southern California. It has since grown into a provider of mental health, educational, autism, adoption, and early intervention services.

The nonprofit provides counseling and case management at more than 20 schools in the Los Angeles and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District systems, according to CauseIQ data. Vista Del Mar intends to maintain its regional service presence while transitioning the Euclid Street property to housing, the Mirror reported.

The architect

AUX Architecture, a Los Angeles firm founded in 2008 by Brian Wickersham, is designing the project. The firm has an established relationship with Vista Del Mar, having previously designed the Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center on the nonprofit's main campus and the Vista Village residential project, according to the firm's portfolio.

How to participate

Residents can attend the community meetings at the project site:

  • Monday, July 13 — 1533 Euclid St., 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 16 — 1539 Euclid St., 6 p.m.

Vista Del Mar has set up dedicated project websites at 1533euclidstsm.com and 1539euclidstsm.com.