Commercial buildings and a kiss-and-ride lot next door to the E Line's western terminus are poised for redevelopment with a large apartment complex, according to an item scheduled for review at the September 12 meeting of the Santa Monica City Council.

The proposal, first reported by the Santa Monica Daily Press, comes as a result of an October 2022 vote by the City Council to declare 1.85 acres of city-owned land at 1632-1640 5th Street and the kiss-and-ride lot as "surplus land,' available to developers. The city received 11 total proposals, which were eventually narrowed down to submissions from AMCAL Multi-Housing Company and Cypress Equity Investments, both of which proposed mixed-income housing without requiring subsidies.

AMCAL would acquire an adjoining commercial building, often referred to as "The Comma Building" for its shape, from Lincoln Property Company, which could then be folded into the project.

1632-1640 5th StreetGoogle Maps

The resulting proposal would consist of approximately 570 dwelling units - including more than 140 affordable units. However, the precise amount of housing will depend on the results of a feasibility study which has yet to be conducted.

The Council is expected to vote on entering into an exclusive negotiating agreement with AMCAL for the property. The developer would be required to conduct one public meeting for the project within 30 days of the delivery of the agreement, as well as two public workshops with neighbors living within 500 feet of the property.

The proposed project adjacent to the Metro stop would be the largest the Downtown area has seen in recent memory in terms of the total amount of housing proposed. While a number of new mixed-use projects are in development along Lincoln Boulevard to the east, the largest of those is a 280-unit complex now rising at the former site of a Vons supermarket.

Other large projects are also proceeding at sites across Santa Monica as a result of a settlement between the city and developer WS Communities over a slate of Builder's Remedy proposals.

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