USC’s rising student population and the housing shortage in the area presented a new opportunity for The Shammas Group. While most of the private student housing in the area involved converting two-story residential homes into “mini-dorms” for students and displacing neighborhood families, the Shammas plan utilized property used by Felix Chevrolet’s used car operations to build an eight-story, high quality structure to house 1700 students. The Shammas Group’s CEO, Darryl Holter, worked with USC leaders, Councilmember Bernard Parks, and the Mayor’s office to amend the General Plan Amendment for Figueroa Street to allow multiple story mixed-use development in the Corridor. This provided the basis for other similar projects in the district as USC shifted from being a commuter school to a university with thousands of students on or near the campus.