Mixed-Use Upgrade for Venice Boulevard

Palms's shabby three-mile stretch of Venice Boulevard is flanked by an assortment of strip malls and drive-thru restaurants.  Perhaps a new mixed-use development will finally begin the process of converting the auto-centric corridor into a more liveable environment.

Earlier this month, plans were filed with LADCP for a residential-retail complex at 10300 Venice Boulevard.  City records indicate that the low-rise structure would vary from four to five stories in height, containing 34 residential units above 2,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space.  The proposed multi-family complex has requested a density bonus from the city, which implies the inclusion of affordable units within the building.

The approximately quarter-acre development site, located between Goldwyn Terrace and Vinton Avenue, is currently improved with a series of one-story duplexes.  It is one of several nearby properties in Palms which have recently been targeted for development.  Three blocks east, an 86-unit apartment building is planned on Dunn Drive.  Roughly four blocks west, a 126-unit mixed-use complex is in the works for Overland Avenue.

Small Lot Houses in the Works Near Helms Bakery

More low-rise action in the (sort of) Westside.  Just one block east of the soon to be reactivated Helms Bakery, plans are in the works for six houses via the city's small lot subdivision ordinance.  The Venice Boulevard Urban Dwellings, designed by the Los Angeles based Modative, would rise three stories at 8732 Venice Boulevard.  Floor plans range from 1,500 to 1,800 square feet.  The homes would front directly onto Venice Boulevard, putting their front doors just a short walk away from the increasingly busy Expo Line.  While Modative explicitly states that project was designed to emphasize pedestrian activity, they haven't forgotten about the automobile.  Each house provides two parking spaces, with vehicular access through an alley off of Sherbourne Drive.  Plans for the Venice Boulevard Urban Dwellings were originally submitted for review in 2007, but the proposal sat dormant amidst the recession.  It looks like things are now back on track, as the project is once again wending its way through City Planning.  With construction already underway on a pair of mixed-users next to Culver City Station, perhaps we're seeing the beginnings of something special in the Mid-City neighborhood.