Developers Plot Multifamily Housing Near Culver City Core

Two low-slung residential buildings in Culver City are poised to be demolished for a taller multifamily structure.

An application filed with the city calls for the construction of a six-story residential building at 4076-4080 Lafayette Place outside downtown Culver City, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. The proposal comes from Lafayette Place Apartments LLC, an entity managed by real estate investors Christopher and Stephanie Mintle.

The corner parcels would see the construction of 40 one- and two-bedroom apartments above parking for 43 vehicles. The applicant is requesting entitlements including density bonus incentives, which would allow the developer to build larger than what zoning rules allow in exchange for some affordable housing. Six of the 40 apartments, or 15 percent of the total unit count, would be restricted to lower-income residents.

It isn’t the first proposal to redevelop the lots with more residences. In 2020, an affiliate of Manhattan Beach-based real estate firm Minaret Development Partners filed an application to build five townhomes at the site.

Culver City, like Los Angeles, has state-mandated housing goals it must meet, making any multifamily additions crucial at a time when the region is experiencing demand pressure on its limited housing stock. The Westside municipality is required to plan for 3,341 housing units by 2029. Of those, 712 would be for lower-income residents and 560 for moderate-income households, while 1,069 would be above moderately priced.

Earlier this year, Culver City’s City Council greenlit a proposal from West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation to erect an affordable housing development on the site of a former gun store at 11029 Washington Boulevard. That development will have 67 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments as well as ground-floor artist spaces and a community art center. The project is expected to cost roughly $50.2 million, or about $749,000 per unit. The residences will be restricted to households earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income.

— Chris Malone Méndez