111 apartments proposed at 11516 S. Vermont Ave.

An empty lot and surface parking next to the I-105 Freeway and Metro's Vermont/Athens Station is slated for redevelopment with housing, per a recent application to the Los Angeles Department of City Planning.

The proposed development at 11516 S. Vermont Avenue, pitched by project applicant Aria Shafiee of 10361 Foster Road, LLC, calls for the construction of a new six-story building featuring 111 one- and two-bedroom apartments atop parking for 85 vehicles.

Requested approvals include density bonus incentives to permit a larger structure than would otherwise be allowed by zoning rules. In exchange, 18 of the new apartments would be set aside for rent as affordable housing at the very low- and moderate-income levels.

Paykan Corporation is designing the project, which is depicted in plans as a contemporary podium-type building.

Located next to a freeway and on the dividing line between the City of Los Angeles and the unincorporated community of Athens, the surrounding area has not typically attracted proposals for large apartment buildings, although the County has attempted to encourage redevelopment by adopting new zoning rules for its territory. The area is also set to see a new north-sound transit line in the future, with the impending construction of Metro's Vermont Avenue bus rapid transit line.

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• Vermont Vista (Urbanize LA)