Our “Building Better” Ideal for Downtown Westchester

Any future project in Mixed-Used Commercial zones should be a 4x win:

1. Works financially for developer + future operator;
2. Adds affordable housing inventory in our community;
3. Creates a walkable neighborhood;
4. Supports tenant quality of life through innovative building design.

Project Plans for 8820 Sepulveda (click on image for access)

Our Take

This is a poorly designed building, by the standards set in both local ED1 building applications and best-of-class ED1 projects.  

1. Not compliant with existing Community Design Overlay (CDO) which reserves ground-floor for commercial use only.

Only ~25% of the building frontage on Sepulveda is designated Commercial. The remaining first floor area fronting on Sepulveda is dedicated to a residential lobby, mail room and (confusingly) 1 single apartment unit with windows at ground level.

2. CDO non-compliance also harms the walkable / bikeable neighborhood promise of the Sepulveda corridor’s future as a dense Mixed-Use Commercial community.

3. Deficient open space programming.

We accept that developers can reduce open space under certain Density Incentives and ED1. However, this design limits open space to two ground-floor courtyards between 3 apartment unit towers. This courtyard/airspace width is about about 18′ between towers. (Too tight.) Pedestrian bridges criss-cross the airspace on floors 2 through 8, blocking natural light and amplifying noise. 

4. Studio apartments disguised as 1-bedroom units to evade statutory rent caps.

The developer designates the 370 sq ft apartments as 1-bedrooms, not studios. Why not market the units as studios—arguably a more apt designation? Possibly because LAHD allows for a 12% higher rent allowance for 1-bedrooms? We can’t think of any other good reason to add a wall, defining a sleeping space that—as illustrated in the Planning Application—will only fit a single twin bed.

Could this Be a Better Building? Yes.

We’re seeing better building plans from other local ED1 applications.

Also, this project’s architectural firm has a track record of more innovative work.

The creative team at 64North appear to leverage good design as a counterbalance technical and financial limitations. With 8820 Sepulveda, 64North has delivered a building lacking community amenities included in other local ED1 applications: balconies, communal yard space, roof-top decks and unobstructed paths for light and air.