Exposition Park project list expands with 40-unit proposal

Exposition Park has seen an uptick in infill project proposals since fall 2022, with the latest an application to build a mixed-use building with 40 units filed with the City of Los Angeles’ Planning Department on April 11. 

Plans submitted by Hamid Razipour of Razi Grand Property envision a seven-story building located at 3801-3807 South Grand Avenue. The building will include 36 market-rate units and four units reserved for extremely low income renters. 

The building will include 1,981 square feet of commercial space, 3,600 square feet of open space and three stories of parking, which would include 97 spaces. It would feature stalls for electric car charging, as well as parking for about 38 bicycles. It will be constructed on what is currently a 19,000-square-foot vacant lot. Requests for comment from Razipour and a colleague were not returned.

Razi Grand Property’s project joins a group of project proposals submitted in the Exposition Park area, according to media reports. These projects rely on Transit Oriented Community bonuses to develop larger structures than zoning rules would typically allow. The proposed developments seek to replace single-family structures. Most proposed infill developments seek to build projects with less than 10 apartments. 

Developer Qi Sun submitted applications to put up apartment buildings around Exposition Park, such as at 1136 West 35th Street and 1211-1219 West 36th Place, according to past reports in Urbanize L.A. In August, Orion Capital made an application to build a five-story apartment building at 1192 West 35th Street. Urbanize also reported that preparation for construction is underway for a six-story apartment building at 1069 West Exposition Boulevard.

David Aghaei, a developer who is building an affordable housing project in South Los Angeles,  said the Exposition Park district has become increasingly attractive for projects. “Land costs throughout Los Angeles are becoming exorbitant; it’s making sense to explore this area,” he said of Exposition Park. 

Aghaei’s company Eleos is building a 53-unit multifamily building named Rhea. Aghaei anticipates construction will start in the first quarter of 2024.