Nonprofit to build 91-unit apartment complex in Van Nuys

Non-profit LA Family Housing plans to redevelop a Van Nuys motel into a two-building, 91-unit residential complex.

Plans for the former Panorama Motel site, at 8209 Sepulveda Boulevard, call for the conversion of an existing two-story, 49-unit motel, according to documents filed with the Los Angeles City Planning Department. The current structure will be redeveloped into a low-income housing complex with 40 units. In addition to the conversion, the filing outlined plans for the construction of a new three-story building with 50 affordable units. The project, to be called Panorama PSH, will also include one manager’s unit.

LA Family Housing, which has a focus on San Fernando Valley, operates 26 temporary, permanently affordable and supportive housing properties, according to its website. One of the largest properties in its portfolio is the Residences on Main in South Los Angeles. The property, at 6901 South Main Street, contains 49 supportive housing units, including 24 for homeless households.

LA Family Housing and its joint venture partner Coalition for Responsible Community Development received $16.7 million in financing for the property in 2019. The organization also operates the Comunidad Cesar Chavez (previously known as Chernow House and Triangle Apartments), a 146-bed emergency shelter for homeless families.

In March of 2020, the organization was sued for allegedly failing to pay workers for overtime and keeping accurate timesheets. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in October of last year.

The property at 8209 Sepulveda Boulevard was previously owned by the Los Angeles Housing Authority, which sold the site to LA Family Housing in December 2020, property records show, for nearly $10 million. The L.A. Housing Authority acquired the site for $7.7 million as part of the second phase of Project Homekey, a $2.75 billion program that aims to convert hotels into supportive housing. Before the acquisition, the property was known as the Panorama Motel.