Frost/Chaddock’s Silver Lake apartment project clears planning commission

Firm has been working on the multi-building Junction Gateway for a decade

View of Silver Lake apartments and James Frost (Principal, Managing Member, Frost/Chaddock Developers) (KFA Architecture, Frost/Chaddock Developers)
View of Silver Lake apartments and James Frost (Principal, Managing Member, Frost/Chaddock Developers) (KFA Architecture, Frost/Chaddock Developers)

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission approved a Silver Lake project that’s been more than a decade in the works and would bring 199 apartment units to the upscale enclave in the city’s center.

Developer Frost/Chaddock’s Junction Gateway proposal is for two development sites on Sunset Boulevard, according to Urbanize.

4100 Sunset Boulevard (KFA Architecture)

A 91-unit building is slated for 4100 Sunset Boulevard. Plans call for five stories, 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail space and a 168-stall subterranean parking garage.

The units would be a mix of studios, one- and two bedroom units. In exchange for a density bonus, Frost/Chaddock would set aside eight units as affordable housing. The development site is currently a parking lot and one commercial building.

4310 Sunset Boulevard (KFA Architecture)

The other building, at 4301 Sunset Boulevard, would have 108 apartments and 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, along with a 157-stall parking garage.

The latter building would replace a motel, auto shop, duplex and a single-family home.

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The units would be a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments. 10 of the units would be set aside as affordable housing in exchange for a density bonus. KFA Architecture is designing both buildings.

The Junction Gateway project originally called for a 94-key hotel at 4000 Sunset Boulevard, but Frost/Chaddock announced in February that it was nixing those plans in light of the pandemic, which has devastated the hospitality industry.

Frost/Chaddock first proposed the project in 2011 and immediately faced opposition from local activists.

With City Planning Commission approval, Frost/Chaddock will bring the project to the L.A. City Council for final approval. It could still be appealed at that stage.

Silver Lake is home to many smaller development projects, and California Landmark Group is developing a 100-unit apartment complex not far from Junction Gateway.

A shovel-ready site in the neighborhood — entitled for a 30-unit apartment building — traded hands earlier this year for $3.5 million.

[Urbanize] — Dennis Lynch