City Planning Commission rejects appeal of mixed-use project at 5271 W. Sunset Blvd.

At its April 10 meeting, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted to uphold the approval of a proposed mixed-use residential development near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Western Avenue, rejecting an appeal of existing tenants who sought to block the project from moving forward.

The proposed project from Michael Eghbali and Farshad Zaghi, approved late last year, would rise from a property located at 5271 W. Sunset Boulevard. Plans call for razing an existing fourplex to clear the way for the new construction of a four-story building featuring 19 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments above 570 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

Project approvals include Transit Oriented Communities incentives to permit a taller building than would otherwise be allowed by zoning rules. In exchange, two of the proposed apartments as affordable housing at the extremely low-income level.

Carpira Design Group Company is listed as the architect behind the project. A renderings shows a contemporary low-rise structure with balconies overlooking Sunset Boulevard.

The appellants, listed as existing tenants of the property argued that the proposed project would take away a historic resource, is incompatible with zoning regulations, and should not be eligible for an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act. Additionally, the tenants argued that the project does not provide a sufficient amount of new affordable housing, and should include automobile parking.

A staff response notes that the project provides the amount of replacement affordable housing required by state law, and explains the use of development incentives to achieve the proposed density and building envelope. 

Although larger than the two-story building that it would replace, the proposed project pales in size when compared to other upcoming developments in the near vicinity. A short distance west at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Western Avenue, a shopping center at 5420 Sunset Boulevard is being redeveloped with a mixed-use project which will feature 735 homes. A similar 412-unit complex is slated to rise at the opposite corner of the same intersection.

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• East Hollywood (Urbanize LA)