A 114-unit residential development in Encino is moving forward, despite strong opposition from residents over its proposed scale and impact on traffic and parking.
The city’s Planning Commission has approved the complex at 16161 West Ventura Boulevard, which will offer 65 one-bedroom units, 15 two-bedroom apartments, 32 studios, and two live-work units, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. It will also include 11 units for very low-income families.
The developer is identified as Encino Investors LLC.
The firm will demolish two commercial-office buildings and a surface parking lot and replace them with a six-story complex. The new building will feature a fitness room, rooftop lounge, outdoor deck and 12,000 square feet of open space, including a plaza area along Ventura Boulevard. It will also offer 114 parking spaces and 126 bicycle spaces on three levels.
The planning commission rejected an appeal from the Encino Neighborhood Council, which voted against the project last year, complaining about its height and lack of parking, and that it would increase traffic while reducing privacy.
Developers submitted a revised plan to the city that included removing all balconies along the northern side of the project “to address the privacy concerns of adjoining neighbors,” according to the report submitted to the planning department.
Supporters said the project will help address a shortage of housing and will build much-needed units within walking distance to public transportation.
TCA Architects, based in Downtown, is designing the podium-style building, which will sit just west of a 13-story office building, Urbanize reported.
Up the road on Ventura, TriStar Realty Group is also planning a 97-room assisted living complex.
[LA Daily News] — Alexei Barrionuevo