Mid-Wilshire-based developer CIM Group has quietly broken ground on a mixed-use apartment building in Santa Monica's Ocean Park neighborhood.

Sidewalk view looking south on LincolnLOHA

The new project, which will span the east side of Lincoln Boulevard between Ashland Avenue and Wilson Place, calls for the construction of a four-story edifice featuring 47 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments - including four extremely low-income affordable units - above 16,755 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a two-level, 151-car subterranean parking garage.

LOHA is designing the apartment complex, which was described in a 2018 staff report to the Santa Monica Architectural Review board as consisting of "a series of repetitive solid and void along its length."  The building, which will rise approximately 36 feet in height, is slated for exterior finishes including metal panels and smooth-finish stucco.

Stephen Billings Landscape Architecture, another member of the design team, is responsible for the look of open spaces throughout the project, including a street-fronting plaza, a rooftop deck, and a central courtyard at the second floor.

View looking northeast from Lincoln and Wilson PlaceLOHA

The design of the project, located at 2903 Lincoln Boulevard, evolved over multiple presentations to the Architectural Review Board.  The building initially had a more muted color palette, before adding flourishes of blue after being called "monotonous" by a member of the board.

The new apartment complex will rise roughly a half-mile south of Pacific Landing, a $28.2-million affordable housing complex now being built by Community Corp. of Santa Monica.

CIM, which builds multifamily housing, offices, and hotels across Los Angeles County, is also an active developer in several other markets across the country.

2903 Lincoln BoulevardGoogle Maps