27-unit apartment complex eyed on single-family lot in Los Feliz

Developer seeks breaks on density based on three affordable units

Renderings of the project (Los Angeles City Planning)
Renderings of the project (Los Angeles City Planning)

Developer Mamian West LLC wants to demolish a single-family home in Los Feliz and build a 27-unit apartment building in its place.

Chris Mamian’s firm filed plans for the project late last week, according to Urbanize. The project is slated for 4544 Los Feliz Boulevard, a corner lot at the junction with Rodney Drive.

The property is about a third of an acre, which is relatively large for a single-family property in the upscale neighborhood northwest of Downtown L.A. Many of the neighboring single-family homes and duplexes sit on smaller lots. The home was built in 1940.

Mamian West wants to use Transit Oriented Communities entitlements to boost the density of the multifamily building, which as proposed would be too large for existing zoning.

The TOC program allows developers to request a density bonus and other entitlements, such as setback and parking reductions, in exchange for reserving a percentage of units as affordable. Mamian West proposes reserving three units at the “very low-income” level.

The proposed structure is five stories above subterranean parking for 37 vehicles. The units are proposed as a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments.

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Kevin Tsai Architecture is designing the project. Plans call for rooftop decks, a common recreation room and a yard at the rear of the site.

Renderings show balconies for most units facing the corner of Los Feliz Boulevard and Rodney Drive .

An entity affiliated with Malibu-based American Commercial Equities Management is developing a larger 87-unit project not far away at the intersection of Franklin and Western avenues, according to Urbanize.

The developers there secured a density bonus and other entitlements in exchange for reserving a percentage of units as affordable, although not via the TOC program.

CGI Properties recently secured Lazy Acres Natural Market as a tenant for a neighboring retail space.

[Urbanize] — Dennis Lynch