At its meeting yesterday, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted to support the construction of a new multifamily residential building in Mid-City, rejecting an appeal which sough to block the project's construction.

View from Hi Point and Saturn looking southeastKetter

The proposed development, a joint venture between Trion Properties and Ketter Construction, calls for the construction of a five-story building at the southeast corner of Hi Point Street and Saturn Avenue featuring 58 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments - including seven extremely low-income affordable units - above subterranean parking for 105 vehicles.

In-house architects for Ketter are designing the apartment complex, which would have a Mediterranean-style exterior and amenities such as a gym, a courtyard, and two rooftop decks.

Aerial view looking southeast from Hi Point and SaturnKetter

Although Ketter and Trion have already secured entitlements for the project, the Planning Commission considered an appeal brought by neighboring resident Andrea Grano, who alleged that the project violates the Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) guidelines and local design regulations, and should be subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Grano, in speaking to the Commission, stated that her primary concerns regarding the project are a perceived lack of parking and the size of the proposed building relative to the amount of affordable housing.  However, she also noted that she had grown tired of living near the currently empty lot.

A staff response, finding no evidence for Grano's claims, recommended that the Commission should dismiss the appeal and uphold the approval of the project.

Street-level view from Hi PointKetter

This is the second appeal of a TOC development in Mid-City heard by the Commission this month.  On April 8, an appeal of a smaller 20-unit development planned a short walk north on Saturn was also rejected.

TOC projects are common in the Mid-City neighborhood, which is crossed by numerous bus lines and features broad swaths of land that is zoned for multifamily housing, but developed with single-family homes.

Ketter and Trion are developing a number of those TOC projects in Mid-City, including a similar 45-unit apartment complex which is now wrapping up construction one block south.