West Los Angeles' Sawtelle Corridor has received a new lease on life in recent years, as trendy stores and restaurants have poured into the historic Japanese American enclave.  Now, a new development could add extra pedestrian traffic to the busy commercial corridor.  According to a recent LADCP case filing, a new mixed-use development is proposed at 1947 Sawtelle Boulevard, with plans calling for 73 apartment units and an unspecified amount of street-level commercial space.  The low-rise project would require the demolition of the West Los Angeles YMCA, a three-story structure which has stood at the corner of Sawtelle and La Grange Avenue since the early 1970s.

Like most large scale developments in West Los Angeles, traffic congestion will likely reign as the chief concern of future neighbors.  Two mixed-use projects planned near Expo Line stations at Sepulveda Boulevard and Bundy Drive have faced opposition from some Westside residents over their anticipated impacts on already-gridlocked streets.  One block north of the YMCA redevelopment, a proposed apartment complex recently cut its ground-floor retail component, citing traffic concerns raised by neighbors.