Eginhouse: A 24-Hour Neighborhood

Eginhouse, a mixed-use townhome community by City Ventures and designed by WHA, blends attainable housing, flexible workspaces, and vibrant commercial frontage to breathe new life into Arkansas Street in Artesia, CA. With 59 three-story townhomes across 2.65 acres, the project is a thoughtfully integrated response to the City’s call for revitalization, connectivity, and long-term growth.

WHA provided comprehensive planning, architecture, and design services, with a focus on elevating the pedestrian experience and supporting the City’s revitalization goals. That involvement extended beyond Eginhouse itself—WHA’s Planning team helped shape the Arkansas Street Specific Plan, a guiding document for redevelopment in the area. The plan focuses on making the street more walkable, adding streetscape enhancements, and refining parking to make it easier for people to live, work, and visit. Eginhouse brings that vision to life, offering a thoughtful mix of uses, housing density, and design that fits the neighborhood’s evolving character.

Connectivity was a key driver in the site layout. Parking is spread across both the street and interior of the site, linking the commercial units and live/work homes. Materials like metal awnings, high-contrast colors, and clean modern lines add architectural distinction while supporting the identity of each tenant and homeowner.

The community features interlocking 5, 6, 8 and 9-plex buildings with three distinct plans ranging from 1,320 to 1,855 square feet. Whether you’re a young family looking for the right fit or a local business owner ready to grow, there’s a layout here that meets your needs. Two buildings fronting Arkansas Street offer approximately 4,510 square feet of commercial space, designed with 13.5-foot ceiling plates to enhance visibility and flexibility for future tenants. Above the storefronts, residential units stack up to form a true live-above-the-shop setup that keeps the street buzzing from morning to night.

Behind these commercial frontages, select townhome units integrate 6,622 square feet of live/work flex space at the ground level, deliberately placed to activate the interior of the site. These live/work units are part of Plan 2, where the typical ground-floor flex space was converted into a more functional business environment at the request of the City of Artesia. By incorporating these spaces into the residential framework, the site supports small businesses while strengthening the sense of community and walkability.

Eginhouse is a pedestrian-focused community that transformed an underutilized site into a place where people want to live, work, and engage. Surrounded by residential, light industrial, and commercial uses, Eginhouse becomes a bridge between the City’s past and future. By embracing the power of mixed-use design, WHA and City Ventures have delivered a housing solution that has helped build a foundation for a stronger, more connected Artesia.

 

Hannah Cervantes