The Los Angeles City Planning Commission has upheld the approval of a proposed Executive Directive 1 affordable housing development in West Hills, rejecting an appeal brought by three neighboring residents who sought to block the project's construction.
The approximately 96,000-square-foot project site at 7556-7572 N. Woodlake Avenue, which is owned by a family trust, was previously developed with a single-family home created in the 1920s. JZ Development, LLC, the project applicant, obtained city approvals in late 2024 to raze and redevelop the property with a five-story structure containing 332 apartments reserved for low- and moderate-income seniors and parking for 154 vehicles.
View looking east from Woodlake Ave.JZA Architecture
Project approvals included density bonus incentives to permit a larger structure than would otherwise be permitted by zoning, as well as the removal of any restrictions on residential density.
JZA Architecture is designing the proposed project, which is shown in renderings with a Mediterranean style design.
The project appellants, all listed as homeowners in the abutting neighborhood to the south, argued that the covenants and restrictions applied to the neighborhood restrict construction on the project site to single-family homes no more than one story in height. They also contended that any changes to the tract's covenants, conditions, and restrictions requires approval of two thirds of property owners.
7556 Woodlake Ave.Google Maps
In response, the applicant argued that the condition regarding single-family homes only applied to lots 1-207 of the tract, while the project site is lot 208. The applicant also pointed to language indicating that the condition imposing this limitation expired in 1916.
A staff presentation also pointed out that the covenants, conditions, and restrictions included a provision prohibiting sale of land to any person of African, Chinese or Japanese descent. Racial covenants have not been legally unenforceable since 1947, and are required to be removed from the books by a state law passed in 2022.
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