A vacant lot in Westlake could be developed with an affordable housing complex, according plans submitted yesterday to the City of Los Angeles.

The approximately half-acre site, located at 1438 Miramar Street, is slated for the construction of a seven-story structure featuring 94 apartments - including 93 for low-income households - atop 61 non-required parking spaces.  

Requested entitlements include Transit Oriented Communities affordable housing incentives allowing for increased density, height, and floor area.  Additionally, the project applicant is seeking a statutory exemption from review under the California Environmental Quality Act as per the provisions of AB 1197.  The legislation, which was signed into law last year, exempts all emergency homeless shelters and supportive housing developments in Los Angeles from CEQA.

Property records list the owner of the Miramar Street site - as well as an adjoining property fronting 3rd Street - as Atlantic, LLC, an entity managed by investor Daniel Gehrlach.  The property sold in 2018 for approximately $8.1 million, according to city records.

The prior owner of the site, called JR&K at 3rd, LP, had sought to develop it as part of a mixed-use project consisting of a five-story building featuring 122 apartments - including 31 affordable units - and 3,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.  Though the project was approved in 2014, and several existing buildings were demolished, construction of the proposed development never occurred.

Less than a quarter mile north from the propject site at Beverly Boulevard, a similar low-income housing development made its debut in 2018.

A half-block east, construction is now underway for the 28-room Metric Hotel on Lucas Avenue.

Interested in finding affordable housing? Visit housing.lacity.org.