At its meeting yesterday, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted in support of two proposed multifamily residential buildings in Hollywood and East Hollywood, rejecting a pair of appeals seeking to overturn or modify project entitlements.
Rendering of 7901 W Sunset Boulevard, looking northwest from Sunset and FairfaxNext Architecture
The first development, proposed by Downtown-based real estate firm Jade Enterprises, calls for razing a gas station at the northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue to make way for the construction a seven-story edifice featuring 62 apartments above roughly 6,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space and parking for 88 vehicles. Plans call for a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, with five to be reserved for extremely low-income households.
Next Architecture is designing the proposed development, which would be clad in materials including plaster, fiber cement siding, and precast concrete. Architectural plans show that the building would include amenity decks at its third and roof levels.
Jade's project, which was approved by the City of Los Angeles in December 2020, faced an appeal from three members of the Corte Milano Homeowners Association, which represents residents of a 10-unit condominium building located immediately north of the development site. The homeowners, in arguments submitted to the Planning Commission, objected to development incentives granted to the project via the Transit Oriented Communities guidelines, which permitted a larger structure with less parking than otherwise allowable.
A staff response, finding that the project met all of the eligibility criteria for the TOC program, recommended the denial of the appeal.
Elevation plan for 611 N Manhattan PlaceUriu & Associates
The second development, slated for a property at 611 N. Manhattan Place in East Hollywood, calls for the construction of a five-story edifice featuring 14 apartments - including two units of deed-restricted extremely low-income housing - above parking for 11 vehicles.
Project applicant Yonatan Partiel secured entitlements from the City of Los Angeles in December 2020, and was appealed shortly afterward by Jacqueline Wien through the entity Rive Droite, LLC, who argued that the proposed apartment complex violates local zoning rules.
Although Wien's appeal ostensibly pertained to issues of land use, her grievances largely focused on the issue of trees - one in particular which she alleges has done damage to her property. The project applicant, while expressing sympathy, countered that the offending tree is not located on his property.
Commissioners, citing the inability to make findings to support the appeal, voted to uphold the approval of 611 Manhattan. However, Commission President Samantha Millman requested that Planning staff engage with the appellant to provide assistance in regards to the property damage from tree roots.
