East Hollywood transit corridor draws developers

Plans for seven-story residential complex joins list of projects

1136 North Vermont Avenue and Michel Pourmussa (Google Maps, Facebook)
1136 North Vermont Avenue and Michel Pourmussa (Google Maps, Facebook)

A rapidly transforming corridor of East Hollywood could see a new seven-story residential complex added to the mix.

The plans, filed by property owner Michel Pourmussa earlier this month, call for a 61,000-square-foot building with 65 residential units and around 2,000 square feet of commercial space at 1136-1142 ½ North Vermont Avenue, just north of the Vermont/Santa Monica Metro station.

In line with requirements for the the city of L.A.’s Transit Oriented Communities program, which grants zoning exemptions for projects that are located near public transit, the building will include eight units for extremely low income tenants. Plans also include parking for 43 cars and 36 bicycles.

An entity tied to Pourmussa bought the Vermont Avenue property for $2.3 million in 2016, according to property records. Currently, the property is occupied by a one-story commercial complex from the 1940s; recent tenants have included a beauty salon, coffee shop and shoe repair business.

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East Hollywood, which is centrally located but has remained relatively affordable, could be poised for a broader residential upswing — and a transformation around the immediate vicinity of the Vermont/Santa Monica station is already underway.

Jamison, one of the region’s biggest multifamily developers, is already working on a 177-unit apartment complex at 4632 Santa Monica Boulevard, a short walk east of the station. Earlier this year the city of L.A. also gave the Little Tokyo Services Center, a nonprofit developer, $69 million toward the construction of a striking 187-unit affordable complex. That project is also located near the station and will include 24,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, including a food court.

In June, another developer filed plans to raze three homes in order to build a five-story apartment building nearby on Berendo Street.

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