A former auto repair shop in Gardena is set to be transformed into a new single-room occupancy apartment building.
West Realty Group affiliate Cocoon is moving forward with plans to build a four-story building at 13126 South Western Avenue with 121 apartments and parking for 120 vehicles, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. Each apartment will be 350 square feet with a kitchen and a bathroom. Rent rates and any income requirements have yet to be disclosed.
It’s the largest project yet from Cocoon, which has already built two similar developments in Gardena.
Cocoon opened its first SRO development at 16819 South Normandie Avenue in 2022. Dubbed Cocoon 63, the building features 63 studio units complete with in-unit washers and dryers.
At 13919 South Normandie Avenue, Cocoon built the Cocoon 20, consisting of 20 SRO units. The building opened in November.
The forthcoming Cocoon project on Western Avenue dates back to 2022, Urbanize reported. At the time, West Realty proposed a stepped design from DE Architects that would blend the building into the surrounding neighborhood of low-slung structures.
“Since the adjacent blocks consist of one- and two-story industrial buildings, the project is designed to create its own pedestrian oriented urban context, as well as provide a base context for potential future residential projects,” the company told the city of Gardena, per Urbanize. “The building mass is stepped from four stories to two stories at the northeast corner, to act as a transition to the scale of the surrounding neighborhood.”
DE Architects has worked with Cocoon on its recent SRO projects’ building design, including the forthcoming Western Avenue endeavor.
SRO properties have gotten harder to come by in Los Angeles County since the late 1800s and early 1900s. These days, SRO buildings are often limited to permanent supportive housing. But under the Gardena zoning code, SRO buildings with units no larger than 350 square feet are the only residential developments permitted at industrial-zoned sites such as 13126 South Western Avenue.
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