J.J. Abraham Moves Ahead on Luxury Complex in Beverly Grove

Developer J.J. Abraham has moved forward with plans to replace a two-story strip mall in Beverly Grove with an eight-story apartment building.

An affiliate led by Abraham, founder of the Newport Beach-based Abraham Companies, won approval from the Los Angeles City Planning Commission to replace the Beverly Plaza Center with a 126-unit complex at 400 South San Vicente Boulevard, City News Service reported via the Daily News.

The Abraham Companies and Oklahoma Rock Holdings, tied to MidFirst Bank in Oklahoma City, bought the 0.77-acre property in April 2022 for $26 million.

The Abraham-led affiliate, 400 S. Vicente LLC, filed plans to build the eight-story luxury complex with 126 apartments and 11,615 square feet of ground-floor shops and restaurants. Three levels of underground parking would serve 153 cars and 109 bicycles.

The complex would include lounge areas, a fitness center, an outdoor pool and 6,200 square feet of open space dotted by 32 new trees.

The developer used density bonus incentives to permit a larger building than zoning rules allow in exchange for 14 apartments set aside as affordable for very-low income households.

The complex, designed by Steinberg Hart, includes floor-to-ceiling windows between long eaves, with balconies tucked inside alcoves, according to a rendering featured by Urbanize Los Angeles.

The 17,200-square-foot Beverly Plaza Center, built in the 1980s, would be demolished.

The strip mall at South San Vicente and La Cienega Boulevard is home to a Persian restaurant, Thai restaurant and an Indian restaurant, plus a nail salon and alterations shop. It sits two blocks from the Beverly Center and across the street from a Trader Joe’s grocery store.

In response to safety concerns voiced by neighbors, including the Beverly Wilshire Homes Association, Abraham agreed to include fencing, security cameras and courtesy patrols.

The developer upgraded driveway plans to reduce incoming and exiting cars, plus extend landscape and retail designs and move the rooftop pool further away from homes on Fourth Street.

Abraham also agreed to not sell alcohol and limit outdoor noise on the eighth floor by 10 p.m. On the commercial floors, alcohol sales would be permitted until 11 p.m., with indoor alcohol sales until midnight.

Two strip mall business tenants opposed the project. The property owners inherited 14 different leases, including two yet to be resolved. The owners of India’s Grill claim conversations have not gone well, saying they fear the project will negatively impact their families and livelihood.

The project will now be reviewed by the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee at an unknown date.

The Abraham Companies has been involved in more than $12 billion in real estate, including the more than 12,000 luxury and mixed-use apartments across the U.S. and Mexico, according to its website.

— Dana Bartholomew