A surface parking lot near an under-construction subway station in Downtown Los Angeles could be redeveloped with multifamily housing, according to an application recently submitted to the Planning Department.

Rendered view looking northeast from Spring StreetGensler

Relevant Group, a Los Angeles-based firm with a penchant for new hotels in Hollywood, is seeking entitlements for the construction of a 15-story building at the northeast corner of 3rd and Spring Streets.  Plans call for a total of 331 one- and two-bedroom dwellings, ranging from 422 to 870 square feet in size.  The housing would be located above 6,350 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 37 parking stalls in a single basement level.

The proposed development would require the approval of density bonus incentives to permit increased height and floor area, as well as a reduction in required automobile parking.  In exchange, Relevant would set aside 37 of the apartments as deed-restricted affordable housing at the very low-income level.

Rendered view looking southeast from Spring StreetGensler

Gensler is designing the project, located at 121 W. 3rd Street, which would be composed of prefabricated modular units constructed off-site.  The building would be arranged in a U-shaped footprint above the podium level, wrapping a landscaped central courtyard which opens to the sky.  Planned amenities include a fitness room and a rooftop deck perched 195 feet above street level.

Renderings of the apartment complex depicted a rust-colored exterior, highlighted by a system of perforated metal screens which frame exterior-facing balconies.

Rendered view looking northwest from 3rd StreetGensler

The project, due to its requested entitlements, is subject to a City Planning Commission hearing.

Relevant Group, which has made its mark with a series of hotel developments along Selma and Wilcox Avenues in Hollywood, is not a stranger to Downtown.  The company is also in the midst of entitlement proceedings for a project which would expand and add housing to the historic Morrison Hotel in South Park, and is also slated to renovate the Hotel Barclay at 4th and Main Streets.  Additionally, the company's modular development arm is planning a new supportive housing project near the intersection of 5th and San Pedro Streets.

Rendered view of building courtyardGensler

However, neither of Relevant's projects will represent the first example of modular construction in Downtown.  Just one block south at 4th and Spring, construction is coming to a close at an 11-story, 315-room citizenM hotel which is also comprised of prefabricated units.

Relevant Group's project site also sits a block south of the intersection of 2nd and Spring, where Metro is now years into construction at the new Historic Broadway subway station, which is expected to open as part of the Regional Connector in 2022.

Rendered view of rooftop deck facing Downtown skylineGensler

The new transit hub has spurred the construction of housing on several nearby properties, including Onni Group's two-building development at the Times Mirror Square complex, architect David Gray's 17-story apartment tower at 216 Spring, and a 56-story high-rise from Tribune Real Estate which would rise directly above the station.

Rendered aerial view looking northeastGensler