The Los Angeles City Planning Commission has voted to uphold the approval of a proposed multifamily residential building in Koreatown, rejecting an appeal which sought to block the project's construction.

In August 2024, the Director of Planning issued a letter of determination to applicant Hankey Capital for an application for a project at 638 S. Berendo Street. The proposed development calls for replacing a surface parking lot with an eight-story building containing 163 studio and one-bedroom apartments above parking for 103 vehicles, most of which would serve users of an adjoining commercial building.

3273-3289 Wilshire BoulevardGoogle Street View

Project entitlements include Transit Oriented Communities incentives, which permit a larger structure than local zoning rules would normally allow. In exchange 18 of the apartments are to be reserved as extremely low-income affordable housing for a period of 55 years at completion.

A rendering portrays 638 Berendo as a contemporary podium-type building. Plans show that the new development would be clad in painted plaster, and incorporate amenities including recreation rooms, a terrace deck, and a courtyard.

The appeal, which comes from the Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility (an affiliate of LIUNA), argued that the project should be subject to further scrutiny under the California Environmental Quality Act. A staff report recommended denial of the appeal, citing a lack of evidence to support its claims.

3273-3289 Wilshire BoulevardGoogle Maps

The new proposal at 638 Berendo is the second since 2021, following an abandoned application initiated in 2022 which called for the construction of a 22-story tower with 343 apartments on the site.

Hankey's other major projects in Koreatown include the 25-story Kurve development at 2900 Wilshire Boulevard and a 490-unit development now taking shape next to Vermont/Beverly Station. Those projects were Hankey's third development in partnership with Jamison Services, following the Circa apartment towers in Downtown Los Angeles.

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