Around the Corner

Stay safe! In other news:

• California’s largest cities are planning fewer new units than they did a decade ago. In 2024, Los Angeles approved only 17,200 residential units—just 30% of its state-assigned annual target—while San Francisco permitted just 1,074.

• California Senate passed Senate Bill 79 to allow mid-rise housing (4–6 stories) within a half-mile of major transit stops such as BART and LA Metro. It includes affordable housing requirements and would bypass CEQA on land owned by transit agencies.

• Gov. Newsom announced new guidelines requiring five-foot vegetation-free “Zone 0” buffers around structures. Landscape architects and planners urge the adoption of more climate-conscious solutions, such as fire-adaptive planting and Indigenous stewardship.

The Week Ahead

June 10 | LA Planning & Land Use Mgmt Committee

• 820 West Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, CPC-2024-6309-HD-ZC: Draft Ordinance relative to a Zone Change and Height District Change to modify the previous approval to allow a maximum building height of 65 feet, instead of 54 feet plus an additional 11 feet for elevator shafts, solar panels, and equipment otherwise permitted, subject to the Development Limitations; for the reconfiguration of the ground floor plan, enhancement of facade materials, and enclosure of the rooftop steel structure of a previously approved building (West Structure) as part of a proposed Hyundai car dealership

• Report from the Cultural Heritage Commission relative to the inclusion of The Du Barry, located at 458 South Catalina Street; and 3471 West 5th Street, in the list of Historic-Cultural Monuments: CHC-2024-6925-HCM

• Ordering the City Council to set aside and invalidate the Mitigated Negative Declaration (ENV-2016-2602- MND) and all project approvals for the proposed Selma Wilcox Hotel Project located at 6421-6429 1/2 West Selma Avenue and 1600-1604 North Wilcox Avenue; and a draft Ordinance  rescinding Ordinance No. 186025 that amended Section 12.04 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code by amending the Zoning Map

• 670 Mesquit St, CPC-2017-247-GPAJ-VZCJ-HD-SN-SPPE-MCUP-CU2-ZV-PR: Mixed-use development totaling up to 1,792,103 sf of floor area on an approximately five-acre site; Modified Alternative 2 would consist of the following primary components, with up to: 676,437 sf of office; 271 hotel guest rooms; 895 residential units, including 45 ELI and 99 VLI units; 14,345 sf of retail; 28,688 sf of restaurants; 35,515 sf of studio/event/gallery/museum space; 34,000 sf of gym uses; and a 30,000 sf charter elementary school; the proposed uses would be accommodated in four, interconnected buildings, ranging in height from 210 feet to 378 feet, located above subterranean and podium parking. Also includes construction of a 64,900 sf publicly-accessible deck that would extend over a portion of the adjacent railway properties east of the Project Site.

• 1904 - 1906 South Preuss Rd, VTT-84089-SL-HCA-2A: Approval of VTT Map for subdivision of two lots into 12 small lots with one VLI unit. One small lot home will be constructed at each of the 12 small lots. Six small lot homes will encompass a floor area of 2,365 sf and a building height of 45 feet (four-stories). Each small lot home will provide two automobile parking spaces located on the ground-floor level, for a total of 24 automobile parking spaces.

• 1100 East 5th St, CPC-2016-3726-GPA-VZC-HD-DB-MCUP-SPR: Draft Ordinance effectuating a Vesting Zone Change and Height District Change from the M3-1-RIO to (T)(Q)C2-2-RIO Zone for the proposed demolition of three existing warehouse buildings and a surface parking lot for the construction of an eight-story mixed-use building comprised of 220 live/work units, of which 11% (25 units) would be deed-restricted for VLI, 46,548 sf of commercial uses, and three subterranean parking levels, the Project would total 249,758 sf of floor area on a 1.2-acre site, resulting in a FAR of 4.77:1, and includes a Flexibility Option that provides the flexibility to replace 20 live/work units with an additional 17,765 sf of commercial uses

June 10 | Central LA Area Planning Commission

• 8334 West 3rd St, ZA-2024-5524-CUB-1A: Appeal of proposed project involves a Conditional Use permit to allow the sale and dispensing of a full-line of alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption in conjunction with a proposed 1,558 square-foot restaurant with live entertainment including a DJ, live music and karaoke with 85 indoor seats and four outdoor patio seats within the public-right-of-way

• 5920 West Sunset Blvd, ZA-2024-7613-CU2-1A: Appeal of a Conditional Use to allow site improvements of an existing 1,734 sf drive-through fast-food establishment, including a building addition of 205 sf, a new 1,627 sf covered outdoor dining area, changes to the existing drive-through circulation, extended hours of operation beyond those allowed for a Commercial Corner development, reduced window transparency, a waiver from the required five-foot landscape buffer abutting a residential zone, and the replacement of two existing pole signs.

June 12 | LA City Planning Commission

• 9702 – 9718 South Holmes Ave, CPC-2023-6763-CU: Change of use of a portion of a 12,062 sf Sunday school to a charter high school (College Bridge Academy) in the [Q]R4-1 Zone. No physical changes and the campus will utilize the fellowship hall for assemblies and will maintain their 40 existing parking spaces

• 1600 – 1618 South Flower St, 1611 S Hope St, VTT-82213-1A: Appeal of approval of a Vesting Tentative Tract Map for the subdivision of the site into one ground lot and four airspace lots, and a Haul Route for the export of up to 52,000 cy of soil.

  • 1600 – 1618 South Flower St, 1611 S Hope St, CPC-2018-3336-SN-TDR-CUB-SPR-MSC: The South Park Towers Project proposes the demolition of 89,510 sf of commercial uses within four buildings for the construction of a two-tower, mixed-use development consisting of 250 residential dwelling units, 300 hotel guest rooms, and 13,120 sf of ground floor retail uses, for a total of 452,630 floor area on an approximately 1.6-acre site; and up to 23 stories in building height.

• 8251 – 8271 West Melrose Ave, CPC-2024-3202-DB-PR-VHCA: Demolition of four existing commercial buildings, and an associated surface parking lot, and the construction of a mixed-use building consisting of 90 dwelling units, with 10 VLI units, and 15,271 sf of commercial uses, resulting in a total floor area of 110,300 square feet, or a FAR of 4.52:1. The proposed project is comprised of a six-story, 69-foot in height mixed-use building, with two subterranean parking levels. The Project includes 96 automobile parking spaces on-site within two subterranean levels, 94 bicycle parking spaces (78 long-term and 16 short-term), and 7,840 sf of open space.

• 446 South Shatto Pl, DIR-2024-437-TOC-PHP-HCA-1A: Appeal of approval of new seven-story, 90-foot six-inch tall apartment building with 60 units, including seven ELI units. The Project will have approximately 44,846 sf and FAR of 4.23:1

Week in Review

Highlighted Applications

City of LA 

• 5119 Eagle Rock Blvd, DIR-2025-3215-SPPC-DRB: Change of use from the existing retail to day care in a 1,183 sf tenant space with a new bathroom inside and play area at the rear

• 21150 Dumetz Rd, AA-2025-3198-PMEX: Requesting lot line adjustment consisting of three parcels for Woodland Hills Golf Course & Country Club

• 2939 W Sunset Blvd, ZA-2011-876-CUB-PA1-LEOX: plans to permit the modification of Condition No. 7, imposed under Case No. ZA
  2011-0876(CUB), by adding a 280 sf outdoor patio with 10 seats, while keeping all the same previously imposed conditions for the sale and dispensing of a full line of alcoholic beverages for on-site in the [Q]C2-1VL Zone

• 1101 Glendon Ave, ADM-2025-3193-OVR: Overlay Review for one new wall sign 1'7"H X 6'7" (10.32 sf) and one new Village Pedestrian (blade) sign 2'6"H X 1'4" (3.33 sf) in Westwood Village

• 11690 W Sheldon St, ADM-2025-3202-CLR: Change of use from (e) manufacturing to automobile storage garage

Highlighted Completions

City of LA

• 446 Crane Blvd, DIR-2025-1694-SPPC-HCA: Approved with conditions addition of 195 sf to ground floor and lower floor to the existing SFD and an addition of an 480 sf attached ADU on second story to the existing SFD

• 2649 Waverly Dr, VTT-84529-SL-HCA: Approved with conditions the demolition of 3 apt units for a small lot subdivision into 6 lots, construction of 6 new SFD with attached ADU

• 1909 N Highland Ave, ZA-2021-10702-ZV-CU-CUB: Terminated new 50-room hotel with 1,000 sf café and bar in the RD2-1XL and [q]R4-1VL zone

• 10334 Samoa Ave, DIR-2024-4919-SPPC-HCA: Withdrawn SB9 urban split, resulting in 2 lots, each with one SFD and one ADU