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Round-up of April planning announcements:

• LA City Council motion calls for discretionary review of ED1 projects in historic districts, joining an earlier motion to prepare an Interim Control Ordinance for ED 1 developments on sites with RSO units in Northeast LA

• ED 1 entitled projects have been listed for sale 

• LA County judge ruled SB 9 unconstitutional

• Santa Monica receives ProHousing Designation and will continue to implement SB 9

April in Review 

City of LA Case Breakdown by Project Type:

• Categorical Exemption (CE): 14

• Executive Directive 1 (ED1): 38 (+70 Pre-Application Reviews, or PAR)

• Conditional Use Beverage-Alcohol Permits (CUB): 15

• Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC): 6

• Appeals: 2

Highlighted Cases

City of LA

• 1749 Vine St, CPC-2018-2114-DB-CU-MCUP-SPR: Terminated after inactivity and EIR process; project to preserve Capitol Records complex and new mixed-use development with 1,005 dwelling units (including 133 senior affordable) and commercial, office, and communal space

• 1326 S Westlake Ave, ADM-2024-2240-ADUH: Administrative clearance under AB 2299 and SB 1069 in the Pico-Union HPOZ Preservation Plan, a 849 sqft. garage will receive new doors and new fenestration as part of the existing garage’s conversion to a new ADU

• 8630 Wall St, ADM-2024-2231-DB-HCA-ED1: Demolition of existing SFD and construction of new 100% affordable, 3-story (36' 8") apartment building (6,792 sf) with a total of 11 units (9 LI, 2 ELI)

• 13420 Wentworth St, TT-84247-HCA: Tentative tract map to subdivide existing (T)R1 lot (49,610.3 sf) lot with existing SFD into 6 R1 lots

• 1566 Lyman Pl, DIR-2024-2344-SPPC: Change of use from M-Retail in Shell Building to B-Business

City of Santa Monica

• 1415 5Th St, 24ENT-0080: Approval for a proposed 18-story mixed-use building with 422 residential units (64 affordable units) with 6,615 sf of retail and two levels of 186 subterranean parking spaces

• 1123 Ocean Park Blvd, 24ENT-0079: Occupancy Permit to return four apartment buildings to the rental market, with three units rented while the owner occupies the fourth unit

City of Pasadena

• 1645 N Lake Ave, DHP2024-00116: Demolition of non-historic duplex slated for new development

• 979 N Marengo Ave, DHP2024-00115: 2nd story addition to a non-contributing SFD

Culver City

• 8432 Steller Dr, P2024-0091: Administrative Site Plan Review (ASPR) for Conversion of Existing Industrial Building to Office Use with 5,748 sf of additional floor area

• 5813 Washington Blvd, P2024-0082: New 3-story, 46,309 sf office development, with two levels of subterranean parking (82 stalls with reduced parking dimensions), new rooftop wireless telecommunication facility, and associated site improvements. Application to demolish all existing site improvements, including 1- and 2-story commercial/office buildings totaling 10,526 sf surface parking lot

• 4114 Sepulveda Blvd, P2024-0103: Sign Permit for Randy's Donuts - 2 new wall signs and monument sign face change out

The Week Ahead

May 7 | LA Planning and Land Mgmt Committee

• 754 South Hope St, VTT-74876-CN-2A: Appeal from CREED LA over approval of 8th, Grand, and Hope Project comprised of 580 residential units and up to 7,499 sf. of ground floor commercial/retail/restaurant space with FAR of 9.25:1 in DTLA

• 17533-17547 Revello Dr, 17550 Tramonto Dr, DIR-2019-6352-CDP-MEL-1A: Appeal from Castellammare neighborhood residents over coastal development permit with Mello Act compliance to construct a 3-story SFD (33'h) with attached garage, pool/spa, trellises, retaining walls, piles, and grading

• 5240 North Lankershim Blvd, DIR-2022-6485-TOC-SPR-VHCA-1A: Appeal from SAFER over construction of 7-story mixed-use TOC building with 128 units (13 ELI), 5,000 sf commercial space, and 71 parking spaces. Determination that the project qualifies as a transit priority project.

May 7 | LA Harbor Area Planning Commission

• 1333 West Pacific Coast Highway, ZA-2023-4461-CU-1A: Appeal of 1,287 sf Starbucks coffee shop with a drive-through and walk-up pedestrian window. The proposed project also includes six parking spaces within a surface parking lot and a single drive-through lane

May 8 | City of Santa Monica Planning Commission

• Adoption of Resolution Numbers 24-002 (PCS) and 24-003 (PCS), declaring the intention of the Planning Commission to consider recommending to the City Council to: 1) Amend the Land Use and Circulation Element of the City’s General Plan, Bergamot Area Plan, and Downtown Community Plan for consistency with the Goals, Policies, and Programs of the 6th Cycle Housing Element and recent updates to State housing laws; and 2) Amend the text of the Zoning Ordinance for consistency with the Goals, Policies, and Programs of the 6th Cycle Housing Element

• Presentation by Omgivning on Adaptive Reuse

• Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding Phase 2 Implementation of the 6^th Cycle (2021-2029) Housing Element Programs

• Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding Draft Bergamot Area Plan Objective Design Standards and Approaches to Potential Standards for Taller Buildings in the Bergamot Area

May 9 | LA City Planning Commission

• 1540 Alcazar St, CPC-2022-9266-CU: Construction of a new seven-story, 143.5 feet in height, multi-discipline research facility (USC Discovery and Translation Hub) proposed to be developed on the USC Health Sciences Campus. Proposed building would contain two subterranean levels and comprise approximately 201,292 sf

• 6801 West Hollywood Blvd, CPC-2001-1940-DA-ZV: Termination of the Development Agreement (DA) contract, by and between the City of Los Angeles and Trizechahn Hollywood, LLC, executed November 5, 2002 (Contract). A Notice of Default was issued on February 22, 2024, and the purported successor Developer was required to cure the default but did not

• 2511, 2513, 2515, 2517 West Sunset Blvd, DIR-2023-2028-TOC-SPR-HCA-1A: Appeal from Sunset Rampart Business District and Neighbors and SAFER over the demolition of an existing grocery store, recycling center, and surface parking lot for the construction of a five-story, mixed-use building that will include 3,603 sf of commercial and 121 residential dwelling units (13 ELI)

May 9 | LA South Valley Area Planning Commission

• 22822 Ventura Blvd, ZA-2022-2788-CU-SPP-SPPA-SPR-WDI-1A: Appeal from West Valley Alliance for an Optimal Living of demolition of an existing 6,739 sf commercial building and the construction, use, and maintenance of a new 3,426 sf drive-through, fast-food restaurant (In-N-Out Burger) with 31 automobile parking spaces and a queuing lane for 23 cars

• 11612–11618 West Ventura Blvd, ZA-2018-7167-CUB-ZV-SPP-1A: Appeal of Conditional Use to permit the continued sale and dispensing of a full line of alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption for existing 3,849 sf restaurant, offering live entertainment and having 117 indoor seats and 26 outdoor seats on the adjoining sidewalk. The proposed project also includes a Zone Variance to allow the required parking spaces to continue to be provided off-site at a location within 750 feet by a lease agreement instead of the otherwise required recorded covenant and agreement.