Developer downsizes apartment plan amid affordable housing restrictions

A developer is downsizing his planned apartment complex in Baldwin Hills again, and Measure JJJ appears to be the reason. The statewide legislation encourages affordable housing development and construction near transit stations, while also imposing restrictions on projects seeking zoning exemptions.

Abraham Shofet, through JMDB Holdings, originally filed plans with the city for a four-story, 127-unit apartment at 3831 West Stocker Street. Plans later called for a 74-unit building, which would replace a vacant medical office building.

Now, Shofet has filed new plans, this time to develop a three-story, 57-unit apartment there with a basement garage, city records show. The current plan would make five units affordable, allowing Shofet to take advantage of a density bonus from the city.

According to the Department of City Planning, Shofet had withdrawn a previous application for the property because of restrictions on the number of units he could build, a result of Measure JJJ.

Shofet, who acquired the property for $2.5 million in 2015, declined to discuss the project.

Also known as the Build Better L.A. initiative, Measure JJJ, passed in November 2016 and took effect in September 2017. It requires some developers seeking zoning exemptions to add affordable housing units to their projects. Developers receive incentives to build affordable housing, like allowing for more units and taller construction with reduced parking requirements. The incentives affect developments within half a mile of major transit stops.