West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation has announced plans for a low-income apartment community in its hometown.

The proposed development, called Wetherly Palms, would rise from an approximately 14,400-square-foot site at the northeast corner of Wetherly Drive and Cynthia Street - adjacent to the First Baptist Church of Beverly Hill.  Plans call replacing a surface parking lot and two single-family homes with a seven-story structure containing up to 100 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments, in addition to on-site supportive services and amenities such as a community room, a library, a computer room, a fitness center, and an outdoor recreation space.

The apartments would serve low- and moderate-income households of varying sizes, including workforce housing.

WHCHC, which acquired the project site from the neighboring church, sites the cost of housing as a motivating factor behind the project.  In announcing the Wetherly Palms, the non-profit noted that many West Hollywood residents pay 50 percent or more of their income toward rent, and that high housing cost result in more than 80 percent of people employed West Hollywood commuting in from elsewhere.

"We are all very excited about this project," said Matt Mason, WHCHC's Director of Real Estate Development in a statement.  "Opportunities like this are incredibly rare.  There is not tenant displacement, no environmental remediation, and no historic preservation."

Two design concepts are now being considered for the Wetherly Palms development, both of which come from FSY Architects.  In one alternative, the seven-story edifice could take the form of a stately apartment block, similar to many historic structures throughout West Hollywood.  In the other, the building would have a more modern appearance, composed of a series of offset cubic masses.

News of the Wetherly Palms development was first reported by Wehoville.

Interested in finding affordable housing? Visit housing.lacity.org.