Frank Melkonian Proposes Van Nuys Multifamily Project

Apartments are poised to replace a low-slung commercial building in Van Nuys.

Frank Melkonian, the CEO of Closet World, submitted an application to the Los Angeles Department of City Planning via Victory View LLC, Urbanize Los Angeles reported.

The plans call for redeveloping an office building at the corner of Victory Boulevard and Vesper Avenue into apartments with ground-floor retail. GA Engineering is listed as the project representative.

If approved, the developer would pursue construction of a building at 14600 West Victory Boulevard and 6371 North Vesper Avenue with 44 apartments above 2,400 square feet of retail, as well as parking for 33 vehicles. Six of the apartment units would be set aside for affordable housing for low- and very-low-income households, defined in Los Angeles County as a maximum annual income of $84,850 for one person for low-income and $53,000 for very-low-income.

The project would utilize Citywide Housing Incentive Program development bonuses if given the green light. The office building’s tenants include dentist and medical offices, a driving school and a law firm.

Van Nuys is seeing the rise of several multifamily developments in an effort to meet the city’s housing crisis.

Just a block south of the proposed site for the Victory Boulevard project, an apartment building is planned for 14557 Friar Street, which would bring 42 apartments and 1,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space to the neighborhood.

Two blocks to the west of the proposed Victory Boulevard site, ES MBN Investment Properties is looking to build affordable housing at 14717 West Victory Boulevard. The owner was seeking city approvals for a five-story building featuring 24 studio and one-bedroom apartments earlier this year.

Elsewhere in the San Fernando Valley enclave, another mixed-use development was proposed this spring for 5845 North Sepulveda Boulevard, currently classic car sales outpost RPM Motorcars. Ray Penman of RPM Motorcars seeks to construct an eight-story building with 80 units above 2,300 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Under the housing element for the City of Los Angeles — of which Van Nuys is a part — the city must plan to build 456,643 new units of housing by the end of the decade.

— Chris Malone Méndez