Developer trading soap suds for mixed-use project in West Hollywood

In West Hollywood, local developer LaTerra Development is making headway with its plans to replace a car wash on Santa Monica Boulevard with a new, four-story residential building.

The Century City-based developer has released renderings for its 71-unit apartment building at 7616 Santa Monica Boulevard, currently home to Madison Car Wash, Urbanize reported.

LaTerra is planning to offer a mix of studio, one and two-bedroom apartments, as well as 9,200 square feet of retail space, according to an agenda item from a planning commission meeting last week. There will also be 177 parking spots.

R&A Architecture + Design has been tapped as the designer for the mixed-use complex. Renderings portray a modern-style structure with glass and metal panels, and a rooftop deck.

Like many other proposed projects in the region, preservationists may push back on LaTerra’s plans due to the car wash’s neo-Googie design, which is a form of modern architecture.

LaTerra, a private investment firm led by Charles Tourtellotte, has several other residential projects planned across Los Angeles County, including a 100-unit mixed-use project in Los Feliz, a 221-unit condo building in Koreatown and a $125 million development near Sunset Boulevard. [Urbanize ] — Natalie Hoberman