A presentation to the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board reveals renderings for a Builder's Remedy project in Mid-City.

The proposed development from DIICO Properties of Beverly Hills, slated for a property at 1420 20th Street, calls for the construction of an eight-story building containing 50 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments; a 40-room hotel; 1,163-square feet of ground-floor retail space, and a 62-car subterranean parking garage.

View looking southwest from 20th StreetOttinger Architects

As a Builder's Remedy proposal, the project is required to either fully restrict itself to occupancy by moderate-income households or set aside 20 percent of the proposed residential units for lower-income renters. For 1420 20th Street, this means 10 affordable units, replacing the 10 existing apartments which currently occupy the site.

Ottinger Architects is designing the project, which is shown in plans with a rooftop amenity space and an exterior wrapped with metal screens.

1420 20th StreetOttinger Architects

"The building is organized around a ground floor courtyard with a southern orientation toward existing two-story residential development," states a staff report. "The 20th Street façade is treated with a variety of projecting balconies, some that are held within a grid and others fully screened. This provides a varied volumetric reading, including a strong two-story element that relates to the existing context. A similar architectural treatment is used around the building to provide massing and visual interest."

While its housing element was out of compliance in 2022, Santa Monica received a flurry of applications for Builder's Remedy projects which were able to disregard zoning regulations which would typically restrict building height and density. The city eventually reached a settlement regarding most of those projects, which are instead being processed ministerially by staff.

Follow us on social media: 

Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / Threads / Instagram / Bluesky