Developer Proposes Apartments to Replace Studio City Homes

A private developer has proposed to replace a group of hillside single-family homes in Studio City with a boutique apartment complex, according to Urbanize.LA. In September 2017, Ellia Thompson, a partner at Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP in Beverly Hills, filed plans to replace a group of single-family homes at 3649-3657 Regal Place with a five-floor structure containing 28 residential units atop a 56-space parking garage. Thompson, who has hired West Los Angeles-based Labyrinth Design Studio to design the building, has also agreed to establish four units of low-income housing in exchange for Transit-Oriented Communities incentives. Thompson’s proposed contemporary low-rise building will feature stepped building heights, earth-tone colors and a combination of flat roofs and gables. The proposed multifamily development was discussed at a Jan. 24 Los Angeles City Planning Commission meeting. However, according to the Urbanize.LA report, the project has encountered neighborhood resistance as some homeowners in the vicinity object to a variety of perceived issues, from the complex’s scale and design elements to an encroachment on neighborhood charm.