First look at proposed mixed-use complex at 6464 Canoga in Warner Center

Toll Brothers, Inc., best known for its for-sale housing, is trying its hand at multifamily residential development in Warner Center.

A summary posted by the Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council reveals Toll Brothers as the entity behind a recently-announced project at 6464 Canoga Avenue, which calls for replacing a 1960s office building at the intersection of Canoga and Victory Boulevard with an eight-story edifice featuring 276 apartments above approximately 4,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and parking.

Per the presentation, the project is believed to be the first in the Warner Center specific plan area to make use of density bonus incentives - meaning that the project will set aside a portion of the proposed apartments for rent by lower-income households in exchange for waivers from certain zoning standards. The presentation indicates that 20 of the new dwellings would be set aside for rent by very low-income households.

The new design is described in the summary as an attempt to elevate "beyond the uninspired cube or block design," seen in other Warner Center developments, using an angled "sheared" wing at the corner of Victory and Canoga, which would open into an atrium on the second floor. Plans call for an exterior of blue aluminum composite panels, as well as white stucco and ribbed metal panels.

AC Martin is designing the project, per a representative of the Downtown-based architecture firm.

As with other recent developments in Warner Center, the project is required to set aside some of its footprint as publicly-accessible open space. At 6464 Canoga, Toll Brothers has proposed nearly 12,000 square feet of space, including landscaped walkable areas along both street frontages.

The project has yet to be submitted to the City of Los Angeles for entitlements, but has now gone before the neighborhood council for two informational presentations. According to the summary, reactions to the project at the initial meeting were largely positive.

Located at a major intersection, the project neighbors several sites also slated for redevelopment. One of those is another aging office building at 6400 Canoga Avenue, where Sandstone Properties has received approvals to raze the structure to clear the way for a high-rise apartment tower.

The existing structure, described as a "pioneer" among Warner Center office buildings, was formerly the headquarters of Filmation, which produced animated programs such as The Ghost Busters and Shazam!. However, the structure was vacated following the 1994 Northridge earthquake, as a seismic retrofit of the property was deemed too costly.

Toll Brothers has tried its hand at multifamily development in Southern California before - the company is already building a similar mixed-use project in Downtown Santa Ana.

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• Warner Center (Urbanize LA)