Torkian Construction sets sights on apartment complex near Wilshire and San Vicente

Torkian Construction, an L.A.-based developer and general contractor, has applied to build a 10-story apartment complex near one of L.A. County’s most famous intersections. 

The project site is located at 227 Tower Drive in Beverly Hills, hundreds of feet southwest of the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard, the well known commercial corridor that straddles the eastern border of Beverly Hills and one of the boundaries of the City of L.A. 

Torkian’s project aims to replace a 1920s-era duplex on the site with a contemporary five-story apartment building, Urbanize reported on Wednesday. The complex would include a total of 10 apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms. One unit would be reserved for very low income tenants in exchange for certain density exemptions. 

The city’s planning commission was scheduled to consider the project at a Thursday planning commission meeting. 

Beverly Hills, a city that has been traditionally unfriendly toward multifamily housing, has recently seen plenty of high-profile development fights, including over the controversial legal provision known as builder’s remedy. While a fight has escalated over the city’s eligibility for the penalty, the developer Leo Pustilnikov recently filed a flurry of apartment applications using the provision, and the nonprofit Californians for Homeownership also has a lawsuit against the city pending. 

Last month, Beverly Hills voters also rejected a proposal by LVMH for a 109-key hotel on Rodeo Drive. 

— Trevor Bach 

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