Mirabel takes a step forward at 5411 Wilshire Boulevard

After three years of quiet, a proposed high-rise apartment tower from developer Walter N. Marks, Inc. is once again moving forward in the Mid-Wilshire area.

In late August, the Los Angeles Department of City Planning released an initial study for the Mirabel development, which would replace a 1930s commercial building located at 5411 Wilshire Boulevard. Plans call for a new 42-story tower which would feature 348 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments above parking for 309 vehicles.

The project's entitlement application relies on density bonus incentives to more floor area than otherwise allowed by zoning rules. In exchange, plans call for 29 apartments which would be set aside for rent as very low-income affordable housing.

The current iteration of the proposed tower represents a slight reduction in density from the original proposal for Mirabel, which had called for 371 apartments. The reduction in housing is the result of a switch from the incentives affordable by the Transit Oriented Communities guidelines to the state density bonus.

Keating Architecture is designing the 5411 Wilshire, which is shown with a glass exterior and an amorphous form rising approximately 530 feet in height.

"The architectural design of the Project interprets the Streamline Moderne style of several buildings in the surrounding Miracle Mile through the imposition of a unique curvilinear tower with structural form," reads a narrative included with the initial study. "The tower would be set back from the podium edges to reduce the appearance of Project massing from the street level. Architectural features would include material changes, horizontal design elements, and Art Deco-inspired canopied entryways."

Among the Art Deco landmarks in close proximity to the project is the former Sontag Drug Store, located at Wilshire and Cloverdale Avenue. That building will be preserved as ground-floor retail within Mirabel's podium, with new amenities located above.

The initial study points to a roughly 36-month construction period for the tower, with completion expected in 2027. At the time the project was announced in 2019, it was expected that construction would be completed by 2023.

While Mirabel would tower above its neighbors, it is not the only Miracle Mile high-rise in the works. Onni Group is also in the midst of the entitlement process for a similar 46-story tower which would rise at the opposite corner of Wilshire and Cloverdale.

Walter N. Marks, Inc., perhaps best known as the owner of the Helms Bakery District, has ventured into ground-up development in other parts of Los Angeles as well. The company has also proposed a more modest mixed-use residential development for a parking lot across Venice Boulevard from the Helms complex.

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• 5411 Wilshire Boulevard (Urbanize LA)