Proposed ordinance could limit redevelopment of RSO units in Northeast L.A. Steven Sharp Mon, 04/22/2024 - 10:30 Faced with the task of rezoning for more than 250,000 new homes under its approved housing element, the City of Los Angeles has streamlined the approval of affordable housing developments and rolled out new ordinances which could ease the conversion of vacant commercial buildings into apartments. But as new projects encroach into working class neighborhoods filled with rent-stabilized apartments, a member of the L.A. City Council is looking to pump the breaks on certain development ..read more

243 apartments completed at 1800 Beverly Boulevard Steven Sharp Mon, 04/22/2024 - 09:30 Two-and-a-half years after breaking ground in Historic Filipinotown, construction is complete for the Belle on Bev apartments, Cityview announced earlier this month. Built at 1800 W. Beverly Boulevard, consists of a six-story building that will feature 243 studio, one-, and two-bedroom above 3,500 square feet of ground-level retail space and a 292-car garage. According to a project website, rents range from $2,299 to $3,900 per month. “We are proud to have partnered with the [Historic Filipinotown] communi ..read more

Brightline Vegas-to-Southern California high-speed rail line to break ground Steven Sharp Mon, 04/22/2024 - 08:00 A groundbreaking ceremony with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is scheduled today in Nevada for Brightline West, the $12-billion high-speed rail line which will connect Las Vegas to Southern California. Brightline West system mapBrightline West The news, first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, marks the formal start of construction on the 218-mile passenger rail line, following months of prep work along the corridor. Trains would run at speeds of up to 200 ..read more

Condos approved for El Monte Metrolink-adjacent site at 3700 Monterey Avenue Steven Sharp Sun, 04/21/2024 - 08:00 The City of El Monte has signed off on a new project which would bring housing to an empty lot next door to its Metrolink station. MJW Investments, the applicant behind the Paseo Santa Fe development at 3700 Monterey Avenue, can now move forward with the construction of a series of three-story buildings containing a combined total of 87 townhome-style condominiums and parking for 201 vehicles. Site plan for Paseo Santa FeCity of El Monte The design of Paseo Santa Fe remains unc ..read more

Legal Aid Foundation to rebuild East Los Angeles neighborhood office at 5228 Whittier Blvd. Steven Sharp Fri, 04/19/2024 - 10:30 The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) a non-profit law firm which represents underserved communities, has commenced work on a project which will rebuild its neighborhood office in East Los Angeles. The existing office, which opened at 5228 Whittier Boulevard in 1972, is distinguished by a historic mural by Chicano artist Willie Herrón III. The two-story structure sits just east of Atlantic Avenue. 5228 Whittier BoulevardGoogle Street View The new facili ..read more

Mixed-use development proposed at 825 S. Hampton Drive in Venice Steven Sharp Fri, 04/19/2024 - 09:30 A series of small commercial building along the Abbot Kinney corridor in Venice are slated to make way for new housing and retail, per an application submitted this week to the L.A. Department of City Planning. The proposed project from applicant Steven Fogel of SJF Venice, LLC and Westwood Financial Corporation, would rise from a site located at 825 S. Hampton Drive. Plans call for the construction of a new four-story building featuring 36 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments above 3,416 ..read more

Checking in on the Tesla Diner at 7001 W. Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood Steven Sharp Fri, 04/19/2024 - 08:00 Tesla's stock price may be having a rough go of it lately, but work continues nonetheless for a novel project for the electric vehicle giant at 7001 W. Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood: a charging station which features a drive-in theater and a diner on the same property. Rendering of the Tesla diner at 7001 W Santa Monica BoulevardTesla The project, which replaced a Shakey's restaurant, will feature charging equipment for 30 vehicles at completion. However, the visual cent ..read more

Introducing Urbanize National Steven Sharp Fri, 04/19/2024 - 04:00 We are pleased to announced the launch of Urbanize National. As you may already know, Urbanize Media is a network of digital publications covering real estate, architecture, and urban planning news with a hyperlocal focus. Since launching in Los Angeles in 2015, we have added sister sites covering Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, New York, Seattle, and Toronto. Urbanize National brings them all under one umbrella - news from all of our city sites in one place, as well as big picture stories which impact all corn ..read more

84 apartments unwrapped at 11630 S. Main Street in Broadway-Manchester Steven Sharp Thu, 04/18/2024 - 11:30 In Broadway-Manchester, construction is all but complete for a new apartment complex from SoLa Impact. Triple Main, located just north of the I-105 Freeway at 11630 S. Main Street, consists of a five-story building containing 84 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments above ground-floor parking for 42 vehicles. View looking east from Main StreetUrbanize LA The project was approved using Transit Oriented Communities incentives to permit a larger building with more residential density ..read more

New L.A. River green space breaks ground at 19941 Haynes Street in Winnetka Steven Sharp Thu, 04/18/2024 - 10:30 Construction kicked off earlier this month on a project which will transform a long-vacant lot on the south bank of the Los Angeles River in the San Fernando Valley into a pocket park. The Haynes Street Greenway project, will take shape on an empty 5,000-square-foot plot at 19941 Haynes Street that covers a nine-foot box culvert which allows stormwater to flow into the L.A. River. Plans call for improving the space with new landscaping, trees, outdoor seating, and a textured concre ..read more