Taix redevelopment clears another hurdle in Echo Park

After more than two years in the entitlement pipeline, a proposal from developer Holland Partner Group to redevelop the site of Taix French Restaurant in Echo Park with housing is one step closer to the finish line.

At its meeting yesterday, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted to approve the project, which would rise at 1911-1931 W. Sunset Boulevard. In a deal with the family that owns Taix, the restaurant is set to return on the ground floor of a new development consisting of a pair of six-story structures featuring 166 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, 13,000 square feet of commercial uses, and basement parking for 220 vehicles.

Holland Partner Group's entitlements include density bonus incentives permitting a taller, denser development than otherwise allowed by zoning rules. In exchange for the incentives, 24 of the new apartments are to be set aside for rent as very low-income affordable housing. While the project is being entitled through the density bonus program to avoid a general plan footnote limiting mixed-use buildings to three stories in height, the project otherwise is designed to meet the standards of the Transit Oriented Communities guidelines.

AC Martin is designing the project, dubbed Taix Square, which would have an exterior of stucco, wood, metal, and brick. At ground level, plans call for a new pedestrian walkway between Sunset and Reservoir Street to the north.

The Commission vote comes one month after the Los Angeles City Council moved to adopt a Sustainable Communities Project Exemption, exempting the project from further study under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Although the Taix family has indicated that the deal with Holland Partner Group is critical for the restaurant's survival, the project has faced pushback from local preservationists, who sought to landmark the Taix building in the hopes of potentially blocking its demolition. However, the City Council decided against designated the building itself as a Historic-Cultural Monument in 2021, instead applying the distinction to the property and the notable features of the restaurant, allowing the redevelopment to move forward. That move by the Council drew the ire of many members of the public who commented on the project, although Planning Commission president Samantha Millman noted that monument status assigned to Taix was not an item on the agenda for the day.

Holland Partner Group's Los Angeles-area project include a half-dozen under-construction and planned developments in Long Beach, Koreatown, East Hollywood, San Pedro, and Mid-Wilshire. The Washington State-based firm is also planning a smaller apartment complex on the site of Taix's overflow parking lot.

• Taix French Restaurant (Urbanize LA)