The Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted unanimously to accept a plan to rehabilitate a storage facility near the La Cienega/Jefferson Metro stop, the 3401 La Cienega, with additional residences, offices, and commercial uses.
The project, which is being built by the American branch of the Australian real estate and construction conglomerate Lendlease, would rise from a 3.5-acre site at 3401 S. La Cienega Boulevard. Two mid-rise buildings with 260 residential apartments, about 227,000 square feet of office space, and 2,869 square feet of ground-floor retail space over parking for 785 automobiles are planned.
Design Overview
Lendlease and its joint venture partner Aware Super are employing density bonus incentives to allow for a bigger residential structure than permitted by zoning laws. In return for the zoning concessions, the project will provide 22 units of deed-restricted extremely low-income affordable housing, with an additional 7 units set aside for worker housing.
The project is being designed by SHoP Architects, and it calls for the construction of a 13-story, almost 150-foot-tall residential structure as well as a six-story, around the 92-foot-tall office building. Renderings depict two modern mid-rise constructions with upper-level setbacks used to create terrace decks. The projected office building would likewise use mass wood in its construction.
According to the City of Los Angeles’ environmental assessment, 3401 La Cienega is anticipated to break construction in early 2023 and open in 2025.
3401 La Cienega Renovation Project Opposition
While the project’s entitlement case was unopposed at the Commission hearing, its tract map filing was challenged by the Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility (SAFER), an organization affiliated with the Laborers’ International Union of North America that frequently appeals or opposes large developments seeking discretionary entitlements in the City of Los Angeles.
The Commission denied the appeal, which claimed that the environmental study for 3401 La Cienega did not sufficiently analyze the project’s possible consequences on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions.
