Santa Monica's first SB 79 project was a relatively modest proposal which would replace a single-family home near Bergamot Station with townhomes. The City's second SB 79 project aims to reshape the City's low-slung skyline.

This month, project applicant Bruce Adler filed plans to replace a single-family home owned by a family trust near the E Line's 17th Street/SMC Station at 1517 15th Street. His project calls for the construction of a new 12-story building containing 32 one- and two-bedroom homes without vehicular parking.

West elevation for 1517 15th StreetCity of Santa Monica

In exchange for a laundry list of waivers and development incentives to permit the scale of the proposed project, the building would set aside six homes for for very low-, low-, and moderate-income households.

Plans included with the filing show a nondescript structure rising to a maximum height of 138 feet above street level. The building would be composed of 11 floors of mass timber construction above a single-story concrete base.

1517 15th StreetGoogle Maps

SB 79, which took effect in July 2026, allows multifamily residential buildings as a by-right use near major transit stops across Los Angeles County. Jurisdictions such as Santa Monica, the City of Los Angeles, and the City of Beverly Hills have all adopted local implementation ordinances to guide how the bill is shaped at the local level.

While undoubtedly taller than the project's immediate surroundings, the development 1517 15th Street will not be the only new apartment complex to rise in the near vicinity. Metro-owned sites adjacent to the nearby E Line Station are also poised to give way to affordable housing, and another project from Venice Community Housing and Community Corp. of Santa Monica is now rising on 20th Street.

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