Long-delayed North Hills Project Steps Forward

Land Development & Associates has revived a long-dormant project in North Hills — however, with a different strategic outcome: Instead of building 36 houses it would own, the Encino-based firm plans to subdivide the property and create 36 condos it will sell. The city of Los Angeles had originally granted entitlements to Land Development for the 2.7-acre parcel in 2004, followed by an extension in 2013, according to reports. This month, Land Development filed a request with Los Angeles City Planning Department to advance with work on the site at 14801 W. Plummer St. in this new direction. “What this allows us to do is to condominiumize them and separate them, so we can sell them after it’s built,” Land Development’s chief, Daniel Singh, told the Business Journal. In what’s called a proposed mitigated negative declaration, the city agency said the project will require “the demolition of two existing single-family dwellings and associated accessory structures and the construction, use, and maintenance of 36 detached condominiums.” Two single-family dwellings and accessory buildings, built between 1941 and 1951, will be removed before the condos can be erected. Adjoining the three-dozen condos— slated for a triangular-shaped format comprised of three parcels at 119,544 square feet with 430 feet of façade along the northern side of Plummer Street — will be 72 covered parking spaces and 18 guest parking spaces. The project borders Pacoima Wash, a small creek stemming from the Los Angeles River. In addition to approvals and permits for demolition and construction, Land Development is requesting the removal of a dozen trees, as subject to review and approval by the Board of Public Works, Urban Forestry Division. The declaration also lays down ground rules for avoiding the disturbance of nesting native bird species during the demolition and construction phases. The reason for the lapse in pursuing this project, Singh explained, had to do with the collapse of the market about 2007. “It didn’t really come back until whenever,” he said, and so his company’s focus was trained on other projects. “We feel now it’s time to go forward.” Preliminary approval could take a few months, Singh continued, “then we’ll start preparing necessary plans. We have chosen to wait till we get all the approvals. Once the city approves the subdivision, we have the right to build them.” Singh’s project is just the latest in a flurry of projects along Plummer Street. A separate neighboring project will feature 28 small-lot houses, and there are also two larger endeavors planned nearby, according to reports: Developer Art Simonian’s four-building, 364 units of residential, and another long-delayed complex located farther west along Plummer Street, to establish six dozen low-rise buildings on a 3-acre site. The latter development has been the subject of dispute with locals over traffic concerns. In addition to the North Hills project, Land Development & Assoc. has a 15-home development approved in Sylmar, for which the firm is currently in the process of getting permits and is between three and six months from breaking ground, Singh said.