The Los Angeles City Planning Commission has approved a proposal which would bring hundreds of apartments to a property just south of the Los Angeles River in Studio City.

The project - a joint venture between Genton Property Group, RC Development, and Torino Companies - would rise from a larger site at 12555 Ventura Boulevard. Named Riverwalk at Studio City, plans call for the construction of a series of two-to-seven-story buildings containing 814 apartments, approximately 76,000 square feet of commercial space, and parking for more than 800 vehicles on four subterranean levels.

Aerial view looking northeastMVE + Partners

Planning Commission approval was required for multiple density bonus incentives and waivers  to permit larger structures than would otherwise be allowed by zoning rules. In exchange, a 46 of the project's apartments are to be set aside for rent as affordable housing at the very low-income level.

MVE + Partners is designing the residential component of the project, with AO is serving as retail design consultant. Per a narrative released by MVE, the site's sloping topography toward the adjacent river, as well as requirements to provide a mid-block crossing and step backs from waterway, provided challenges to the design effort.

Aerial view looking southwestMVE + Partners

Plans for Riverwalk were not without opposition. The Commission also considered two appeals which argued that the project should not be approved due to incompatibility with local zoning rules and environmental impacts. The Commission denied both appeals.

The proposed project sits along a stretch of Ventura Boulevard which could be transformed by development in the years to come. To the west at Coldwater Canyon Avenue, the Sportsmen's Lodge is to be redeveloped with a mixed-use residential complex with 520 homes. Likewise, a smaller residential-retail complex is slated to replace a stretch of commercial buildings directly across the street from the Riverwalk site.

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