Datum plans bigger at MacArthur Park resi complex amid rising prices

The developer, connected to the Chinese firm Shenglong Group, wants to build a 228-unit project

2938 W. 7th Street in MacArthur Park
2938 W. 7th Street in MacArthur Park

Datum Development has added 48 additional residential units to its planned mixed-use project in MacArthur Park, amid a recent increase in housing prices in the neighborhood.

The Marina Del Rey developer now wants to build a 228-unit development with 7,843 square feet of ground floor commercial space, according to documents filed with the Department of City Planning. The project would replace a single-story commercial building and a parking lot on a 53,000-square-foot property at 2938-2972 W. 7th Street.

Datum first filed for a project there in February 2016, which called for 180 units, with 15 set aside as affordable.

In the new configuration, an unspecified number of units are planned affordable through the city’s Transit-Oriented Communities program, which provides density bonuses and other incentives to developers who build affordable units near transit stations. The program took effect in September 2017. Based on the bonuses requested, at least 10 percent of the 228 units must be set aside as affordable, around 23.

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Datum bought the MacArthur Park property in 2015 for $12 million, and quickly transferred it for the same price to an entity that appears tied to developer City Century, a subsidiary of the Chinese firm Shenglong Group that’s also active in South Park. Datum appears to be leading the development process.

Datum is also part of a team that wants to build 160 market-rate units on a vacant city-owned site in South Los Angeles. The project would include a hydroponic farm and a grocery store as well.

MacArthur Park is seeing steady development and investment as firms move in to redevelop aging and low-density properties. A number of recent projects there are affordable, including Adobe Communities 100-unit proposal.