Mixed-use project at 1218 Manchester green-lit by City Planning Commission

A proposed mixed-use development which would replace a string of empty commercial buildings in South L.A.'s Vermont Knolls neighborhood has been approved by the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.

Yesterday, Commissioners voted to approve plans from Philip Cohen and Yoaz Atzmon of 1218 West Manchester Associates, LLC to redevelop a site at 1218-1234 W. Manchester Avenue with a new five-story edifice featuring 132 rental apartments and 5,444 square feet of ground-floor retail. Plans also call for 113 parking stalls in a semi-subterranean garage.

The Commission's vote signs off on density bonus incentives requested by the developers, which would allow a larger structure than otherwise permitted by zoning rules. In exchange, 18 of the proposed apartments would be set aside as deed-restricted affordable housing at the very low-income level.

Local architecture and construction firm Ketter is designing 1218 Manchester, which is shown in conceptual renderings as a contemporary podium-type building with an exterior of orange, black, and white stucco. Proposed on-site amenities include two gyms, a community room, a central courtyard, and a series of rooftop decks.

The development site sits a short walk west of the intersection Manchester and Vermont Avenue, where developer BRIDGE Housing recently broke ground on a mixed-use project at a long-empty property.

Atzmon and Ketter are also attached to plans for a 16-unit apartment complex on Orange Grove Drive in Mid-City.

• Residential-retail project to replace empty buildings on Manchester Avenue (Urbanize LA)