Published Date: 1 Sept 2025
OUR TAKE: ACCEPTABLE TRADE-OFFs
Overall, this developer is willing to trade off some potential revenue by building a project that meets a number of needs: offering some larger units and bringing new affordable units to the neighborhood.
Beyond this, the developer is also preserving Dinah’s Family Restaurant—an important community asset that today does NOT have historic designation. (Legally they didn’t have to do this.)
More specifically, our group sees 6501 Sepulveda as a win on these points:
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Great transit- and commuter-friendly location: This corner is a Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) Tier 1 (busiest) location. Therefore, it’s the ideal spot for 362 new apartments.
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Appreciate larger units are included: In high density buildings developers sometimes opt not to offer larger units. In this case, 2-bedroom units represent ~35% of total units, addressing a wider variety of households.
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Plenty of parking: Their plan is generous, considering evolving laws keep lowering the requirement. This developer has done its homework and realizes—from a market-viability point-of-view—that full-rate rents can correlate to higher levels of car ownership. But the parking is “unbundled” so only car owners pay the premium.
- A meaningful commitment to public lifestyle amenities: They are committed to keeping Dinah’s viable, plus bringing new commercial / retail to the community. (The two other newer apartment buildings on Sepulveda don’t include any public amenities.)
Published Date: 1 Sept 2025 (Project was approved in 2024. Site demo has now begun, so this info provided as community service.)
CITY DOCUMENTS
PLANNING DEPT
Planning Application Case Files:
- Original Application CPC-2021-4937-CU-DB-SPR-WDI-HCA
- Appeal Records CPC-2021-4937-CU-DB-SPR-WDI-HCA-1A
Planning Environmental Case File: ENV-2021-4938-SCEA. (Report filing prepared by CAJA Environmental Services.)
Planning’s Approval Determination Letter as of 12/24/2022.
Updated Final Approved Plans. (Appear to be submitted on 04/25/2024 as an update to previously approved plans.)
FYI project encompasses these parcel addresses:
- 6501-6521 S. Sepulveda Blvd
- 6502-6520 S Arizona Ave
BUILDING & SAFETY DEPT
This page will take you to Permit Info, Code Enforcement Info, Certificate of Occupancy Info (no docs at this time), Retrofit Program Info.
Published Date: 1 Sept 2025 (Project was approved in 2024. Site demo has now begun, so this info provided as community service.)
WHO'S INVOLVED
Applicant (Developer)
- FRH Realty, LLC (aka Fairfield Residential
- Ed McCoy
- 858-626-8341
- emccoy@ffres.com
- Fairfield Residential is majority owned by the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), the largest educator-only pension fund in the world, and the nation’s second largest public pension fund.
- Per the Fairfield website: “As a co-investor and participant in every fund and project, CalSTRS brings strategic stability to all we do. Our uniquely integrated processes together with our ownership by CalSTRS enables us to pursue diverse investment strategies. This approach allows us to expand our customer and talent focus and deepens our experience, understanding, and knowledge — everything that sets Fairfield apart.”
Property Owner-Applicants / 6501-6509 S Sepulveda
- Arthur J. Quinn, an individual (signed the Planning Dept’s Property Owner Affidavit, notarized in Texas)
- Alan D Cohen, an individual
- Steven I Cohen, an individual
- HRQ Investments, a Limited Partnership
- Lorin B Flyer, Trustee of the Lorin Flyer Trust
- Lorin B Flyer, Trustee of the Lorin Flyer Trust under the Will of Howard M. Fox
Property Owner-Applicants / 6511-6521 S Sepulveda
- HRQ Investments, a Limited Partnership
- Lorin B Flyer, Trustee of the Lorin Flyer Trust under the Will of Howard M. Fox
Project Consultant
- Burns & Bouchard, Inc
- Jonathan Lonner
- 310-802-4261
- jlonner@burnsbouchard.com
Published Date: 1 Sept 2025 (Project was approved in 2024. Site demo has now begun, so this info provided as community service.)
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Building type: Density Bonus Mixed-Use Commercial (“Mixed-use” = Commercial tenants on ground floor, upper floors all residential)
Bonus Incentives Requested:
- Off-menu
- Floor-Area-Ratio: increase from 1.5:1 to 3.85:1
- Open Space Reduction of 26%
- Reduction of space between buildings (new building and Dinah’s) from 32′ to 0′. (No additional separation required other than driveway.)
- Plus a Waiver of Dedications and Improvements required along Sepulveda Boulevard.
# Residential Units = max of 362 units permitted (without bonus # = 241 units)
- Market rate:
- 124 Studios
- 112 1 Bedroom
- 126 2 Bedroom
- Affordable:
- 41 units (17% of base density) reserved as Very Low Income
These affordable unit income guidelines were published April 23, 2025 by Californias Housing and Community Development Department.
Project Specs
- Height = max of 96′ (8 stories)
- Total Site Size = ~96,030 sq ft.
- Ground Floor Commercial = ~3700 sq ft.
- Floor Area Ratio = max of 3.85:1 (vs 1.5:1 of underlying zone).
- Parking = 520 stalls per application
- Locations: 1 subterranean level, ground floor, portions of 2nd and 3rd floors.**
- Parking approved to be “unbundled” (that is, rented by residents for an additional fee.)
- Ground floor transparency (doors, windows and/or other transparent glazing)
- Sepulveda Facade: minimum total of 50 horizontal feet
- Centinela Facade: minimum total of 100 horizontal feet
- Open Space incentive permits 26% reduction (from 39,350 sq ft per zone to 29,140 sq ft.)
- Outdoor private patios for residents on Centinela side: minimum of 350′ in width.
- Central outdoor courtyard (with pool) on 4th floor, min of 14,000 sq ft.
- Roof deck courtyard, min 1000 sq ft.
- New Trees: minimum of 91 trees added on-site and in public right-of-way per Exhibit A of plans.
- Sustainability
- Includes solar infrastructure.
- Developed to LEED Silver or equivalent rating.
- Street Improvements: required to “dedicate and improve” 18′ along Sepulveda.
Dinah’s
- Approved with confirmation of preservation (approx 7760 sq ft)
- Per Planning Approval Letter: “Although the existing Dinah’s restaurant building is not listed as a City of Los Angeles Historical-Cultural Monument, it is a recognized historic resource that is potentially eligible for listing…”
Timeline
- Planning Approval Letter: 12/14/2022
- Updated Plans Filed with Planning: 4/25/24
- Building Permit for Demo Issued: 5/25
- Construction Completion Date: Unknown
- Occupancy Date: Unknown
** The Planning approval letter allows for this to be changed if necessary per developer: “In the event that the composition of residential units and/or commercial uses (i.e. the number of bedrooms or square footage of certain commercial uses) changes, or the applicant selects a different Parking Option as provided by State Density Bonus law and the LAMC and no other Condition of Approval or incentive is affected, then no modification of this determination shall be necessary, and the number of parking spaces shall be re-calculated by the Department of Building and Safety based upon the ratios set forth by Section 65915 of the California Government Code and/or LAMC Section 12.22 A.25.”
Published Date: 1 Sept 2025
(16 Nov 2021) Developer slides from original NC-Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUC) meeting presentation.
