A Beverly Hills-based real estate investment firm is moving forward with plans for a mixed-use development in the Arts District, according to a draft environmental study published by the City of Los Angeles.

Maxxam Enterprises, the applicant behind the proposed project at 676 S. Mateo Street, is seeking approvals to redevelop a 1970s industrial facility with a new eight-story, 195,000-square-foot building containing up to 185 live/work apartments - including 20 very low-income affordable units - above roughly 23,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a three-level, 211-car underground parking garage.

Alternatively, the developer could build a project - within the same building envelope - which is more heavily weighted toward commercial uses, expanding the amount of available space to nearly 46,000 square feet.  Under this option, the increased commercial uses would be offset by a reduction to 159 live/work apartments and an increase to 287 parking spaces.

HansonLA is designing the proposed development, which would face Mateo Street with a sculptural building described by the architect's website as the ‘puppydog."  The remaining structures, standing roughly 116 feet in height and clad in brick, would be flanked on both the northern and southern property lines by landscaped paseos, with additional open space provided through an interior courtyard.

The proposed apartments would all include open floor plans, each with at least 150 square feet of workspace.  Common amenities would include a rooftop pool deck, a fitness room, and production space.

The project, according to its draft environmental impact report, is scheduled to be built over a roughly 24-month period, commencing as early as 2021 and concluding by 2023.  That schedule is contingent on the approval of a zone change, a general plan amendment, and other entitlements requested by Maxxam.

The development site, in addition to its proximity to Arts District landmarks such as the Los Angeles offices of Warner Music Group, follows on the heels of several similar housing projects on surrounding blocks, including the recently-completed AMP Lofts to the east and the under-construction AVA Arts District apartments at the corner of Industrial and Alameda Streets.

Other projects in the pipeline nearby include a pair of new office buildings planned adjacent to the new Sixth Street Viaduct.

Maxxam is also planning a second development in the neighborhood - a similar live/work apartment complex at 5th and Seaton Streets.