City Planning Commission clears mixed-use development at 6th & Harvard

In a unanimous vote last week, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission rejected an appeal seeking to block the construction of a mixed-use building at 6th and Harvard Streets, clearing the way for Jamison Services, Inc.'s latest development.

The proposed project, slated to replace a post office at the northwest corner of the intersection, would consist of a seven-story edifice featuring 150 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments above approximately 12,900 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a two-level, 192-car underground parking garage.

Jamison entitled the project using Transit Oriented Communities incentives to achieve greater density, height, and floor area than permitted by base zoning.  In exchange for the bonuses, 15 of the proposed apartments are to be as deed-restricted affordable housing at the extremely low-income level.

Next Architecture is designing the apartment complex, which is depicted in renderings with an exterior of multi-colored cement plaster and metal accents.  The podium-type building would have a U-shaped footprint, wrapping an elevated courtyard.  Proposed on-site amenities include a dog park, a lounge, and a fitness center.

The project appellant, the Coalition for an Equitable Westlake Macarthur Park, argued through a representative that the project should be subject to a full environmental impact report due to cumulative impacts with 38 similar housing developments planned or under construction within a one-mile radius.  The organization, which frequently appeals projects to the Commission and City Council, has made identical arguments relative to other planned developments in Westlake and Koreatown.

The Planning Department, in issuing a determination letter for 6th and Harvard in April 2021, had affirmed a Class-32 exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act for the development.  A staff report argued that the appellant failed to provide evidence for its claims.

The 6th and Harvard site was previously slated for the construction of a 10-story hotel and condominium complex by developer Urban Commons.  That project was formally withdrawn from entitlement proceedings in January 2020, according to city records.

Jamison Services ranks among the largest commercial property owners in the City of Los Angeles, and is responsible for many of Koreatown's newest ground-up and adaptive reuse projects, including the Maya apartments one block east on Kingsley Drive and the Luna on Wilshire complex one block south.

• 150 Apartments + Retail Planned for Post Office Site in Koreatown (Urbanize LA)