A proposal to redevelop Studio City's Sportsmen's Lodge hotel with apartments and commercial space has moved one step closer to reality.

On July 27, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted in support of a proposal from Midwood Investment & Development which calls for razing the 1960s-era hotel at 12825 Ventura Boulevard to make way for a new 520-unit apartment complex which would also feature 46,000 square feet of ground-floor shops and restaurants and parking for 1,385 vehicles.

Retail courtyardMarmol Radziner

The proposed project, dubbed the Residences at Sportsmen's Lodge, would include a mix of studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments, with 78 units of very low-income affordable housing. The inclusion of below market-rate housing will allow Midwood to build a will project that is taller and has more floor area than normally allowed by zoning rules through density bonus incentives.

Marmol Radziner is designing the complex, with MVE + Partners and landscape architecture firm Olin rounding out the design team. The new four- and seven-story buildings would incorporate elements of Mid-century Modern architecture, referencing the era of the hotel it is set to replace,as well as roughly 21,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space. Plans call for landscaped courtyards for residents and retail customers, as well as a new pedestrian path connecting Ventura Boulevard to the neighboring Los Angeles River.

Residential courtyardMarmol Radziner

The housing would also serve as a complement to the adjacent Shops at Sportsmen's Lodge, which was built next door along Coldwater Canyon Avenue. The 94,000-square-foot retail center was built on the site of the hotel's former conference center, and is anchored by an Erewhon.

Construction of the Residences is expected to occur over a 43-month period concluding in 2027, according to an environmental study published by the City of Los Angeles.

River viewMarmol Radziner

The project is one of a handful of large developments in studio City, sitting just over one mile west of the Radford Studio Center complex, where Hackman Capital Partners announced plans earlier this year for a $1-billion modernization which would add new offices and soundstages to the property.

At the same time, the project is a rare example of multifamily construction in a neighborhood where such projects have been largely nonexistent. In fact, a staff presentation indicated that the Studio City segment of the Ventura-Cahuenga Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan has seen no residential construction since its inception more than 30 years ago.

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