Empty Lot in Santa Monica Proposed for Nine Townhomes

An empty residential lot in Santa Monica is poised for redevelopment into nine townhomes.

An application filed with the City of Santa Monica calls for the construction of these townhomes at 1949 17th Street, currently a vacant lot less than a block away from the Santa Monica College campus, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. Real estate agent R.C. Thornton is listed as the owner of the property, according to Urbanize.

Rendering of plans for 1949 17th Street in Santa Monica (Lopez Architects)

The proposal calls for townhomes ranging in size from 1,028 to 1,461 square feet. To get shovels in dirt, the project would utilize Senate Bill 684, which streamlines the approval of small infill developments of 10 or fewer units. Under the state law, implemented last summer, local agencies must approve or deny projects within 60 days. If they aren’t, the projects are automatically deemed approved.

The Lopez Architects-designed development would consist of a group of contemporary three-story structures. The townhomes would be available in two- and three-bedroom floor plans. No on-site parking is included as part of the proposal. Thornton’s development follows other residential projects in Santa Monica’s Pico neighborhood, including four affordable housing projects at nearby parcels on Pico Boulevard and 14th Street.

The target price for the townhomes is unclear. As of March, the average home value in Santa Monica was more than $1.7 million, representing a decrease of 0.5 percent over the past year, according to Zillow.

Meanwhile, rental properties in the coastal enclave have also seen rent declines over the past year. As of last month, rents were down 8.1 percent year over year, per Apartment List data cited by the Santa Monica Daily Press. Still, Santa Monica remains one of the priciest rental markets in Southern California, with rents 7 percent above the median in the L.A. metro of $2,176. The city’s median monthly rent in April stood at $2,328, down nearly $200 from a year ago and notably below its March 2025 peak of $2,527.— Chris Malone Méndez