A New York developer wants to double the number of units at a residential project in the Westlake district of Los Angeles, hopeful of gaining new entitlements through the Executive Directive 1 program instituted by Mayor Karen Bass.
Six Peak Capital got entitlements for a six-story apartment building with 110 units at 2859 Francis Avenue about a year ago under the Transit Oriented Communities program. The original plan called for 11 units to be set aside as affordable. The site is currently a vacant lot.
The developer recently filed an application to take its plans up to 232 units and eight stories — a structure larger than current allowed by city zoning — with no on-site parking, Urbanize LA reported. Six Peak would market all of the units as affordable under the Executive Directive 1 regimen.
Bass introduced Executive Directive 1 in 2022 in a bid to speed up the development, construction and delivery of affordable housing. The program aims to cut red tape from the city’s role in the development process, with a particular emphasis on shortening or skipping some of the cumbersome project-review rules and routines.
Among other specifics, the order directs city departments to complete the pre-construction review process within 60 days for projects of 100 percent affordable housing. The program has so far been a factor in applications for entitlements that would combine to bring about 14,000 new residential units to market in the city if all of the projects were completed.
Six Peak is familiar with the transit oriented density bonuses and benefits of Executive Directive 1 through a number of infill projects in various sections of Los Angeles. It has developments in East Hollywood and the Del Rey district on the Westside. It is currently developing a 121-unit apartment building on Sunset Boulevard in the Silver Lake District.