DCM Rentals Proposes Affordable Housing in Palms

A low-slung commercial building on the Culver City border is poised to be replaced by a mixed-use affordable housing complex.

A DCM Rentals affiliate filed an application with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning to erect a seven-story building with 115 one-bedroom apartments at 9700 Venice Boulevard in the Palms district, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. The residences would be built above parking for nine vehicles and 505 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

With the exception of one manager’s unit, all of the apartments will be designated for rent by low- and moderate-income households. By providing the affordable housing, the project will be eligible to build denser housing than typically allowed by zoning laws under Los Angeles’ Citywide Housing Incentive Program.

More developers in Los Angeles are gravitating toward affordable housing rather than market-rate in recent years as high construction costs and lengthier approval timelines make affordable construction the more feasible option. Among the nation’s largest metros, Los Angeles ranked among the top 10 in the affordable housing race between 2020 and 2024, with more than 20 percent of new deliveries in the city being income-restricted, according to RentCafe.

Executive Directive 1, implemented in 2023, has helped add more affordable housing to the development pipeline. Under the directive, fully affordable developments such as DCM’s benefit from streamlined approval processes and exemption from various reviews. The Los Angeles City Council made the measure permanent late last year.

As part of its state-mandated housing goals, the City of Los Angeles must plan for 456,643 new housing units by 2029, including 184,721 affordable units. DCM’s development would join other projects in the area that will add to Los Angeles’ housing stock. DCM is developing two adjacent projects on La Brea Avenue in Mid-City expected to produce 61 units, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. And in March, Wiseman Residential filed plans to build 490 apartments at 9000-9020 Venice Boulevard, about a half-mile east on Venice Boulevard from DCM’s proposed development site.

— Chris Malone Méndez