Akhilesh Jha, the local developer whose penchant for pushing the envelope recently caught the attention of the Los Angeles Times, is back at it with plans for a mixed-use project in Wilmington.

On October 4, Jha submitted an application to the Los Angeles Department of City Planning seeking approvals for a new eight-story building at 1026 N. Wilmington Boulevard. The project, which would replace three existing structures, calls for the construction of 120 one- and two-bedroom dwellings above approximately 2,300 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and parking for 121 vehicles.

1026 N Wilmington BoulevardGoogle Street View

Requested project entitlements include density bonus incentives to a larger structure than zoning rules would otherwise permit. In exchange, 12 of the new homes would be priced for very low-income households. Findings describe the proposed development as for-sale housing.

S.K. Architects is designing the project, named "Wilmington Manor," which is portrayed in plans with an O-shaped footprint and an exterior of white stucco. Planned amenities include a central courtyard, co-working space, and a business center.

1026 N Wilmington BoulevardGoogle Maps

Jha has recently grabbed attention by successfully suing to force the City of Los Angeles to accept an application to build apartments on the former site of a single-family home just off of Ventura Boulevard Woodland Hills. Although Planning staff had declined to process entitlements, citing zoning rules which restricted the site to single-family residential uses, a judge ruled that the project should be permitted due to a general plan land use designation that allows for multifamily housing.

His other projects include a development which would replace single-family housing in Sylmar with 45 apartments and a mixed-use building planned in Harvard Heights, both of which have also faced pushback from planning officials and neighbors due to building scale, among other issues. The new Wilmington project similarly would stand head and shoulders above its immediate neighbors.

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