The Los Angeles Planning Commission has thrown its support behind a major development in Westlake, dubbed “The Lake on Wilshire,” Curbed reported. If approved by City Council, the project will provide a 220-key hotel, a multi-cultural center and a 41-story apartment tower at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Bonnie Brae Street.
The owner and developer, Dr. Walter Jayasinghe, who is also a surgeon, plans on dedicating 39 of the 478 apartments to very low-income households. In exchange, he hopes the city allows him greater density than zoning permits.
But the commission and neighborhood residents claim the income limits (a family of three can earn up to $40,550 and still qualify) are too high and the number of dedicated units too low. As part of the vote of approval, the commission recommended the developer increase the number of affordable units to 49.
Jayasinghe plans on converting a 14-story office building on the site, which stands steps away from Metro’s Westlake/MacArthur Park station. The transit-oriented location, along with Jayasinghe’s plans to bring ground-floor restaurants and a public plaza, stood out to commissioners and city planners who wish to revitalize the neighborhood in between Downtown Los Angeles and Koreatown.
Just a bit to the east, local developer 4Site Real Estate is planning a 54-unit apartment complex at 1246 W. Court Street. West Coast developer CityView is also planning a 243-unit mixed-use complex nearby at 1800 Beverly Boulevard. [Curbed] – Natalie Hoberman