Rendering by Glen Irani Architects. This is the frontage on Ocean Front Walk.

Rendering by Glen Irani Architects. View from Ocean Front Walk and Sunset Ave.

The largest or most dense project for Ocean Front Walk — 601 Ocean Front Walk — will be heard at the Land Use and Planning Committee meeting Monday,30 November, scheduled for 6:30 to 10:30 pm at the Vera Davis Family Center, 610 California.

The Zoning Administrator’s meet for this project is scheduled for 3 December, 9:30 am, West LA Municipal Bldg, 1645 Corinth Ave.

Other projects to be heard are 310-312 Venice Way, 549 Westminster, 533 Rose, 330-332 Rennie Ave, 230 San Juan, 338 Indiana, 658 Venice Blvd., 2614 Grand View Ave, 908 Harding, and 505 28th Ave.

601 Ocean Front Walk, North Venice Subarea, C1-1 zone, General Plan Land Use Plan designation: Community Commercial
ZA-2015-0102-CDP-CU-SPP and ENV-2015-103-MND
VCZSP Compliance: SPP
http://www.venicenc.org/601-ocean-front-walk/

Project Description: Construction of a 35’ tall mixed-use building featuring 7,992 sq ft of retail, 20,000 sq ft of office, and one 800 sq ft dwelling unit, all sited on a 19,195 sq ft lot; and a conditional use to permit deviations from commercial corner establishment/mini-shopping center requirements by allowing on-site tandem parking otherwise not permitted by LAMC Section 12.22-A.23(a)(4)(i); and relief from the requirement to landscape all street frontages and perimeters as required by LAMC Section 12.22-A.23(a)(10)(i); and a VCZSP compliance review.

Applicant: Glen Irani, Glen Irani Architects Inc.
LUPC Staff: Robert Aronson

Robert Aronson, LUPC staff on this project, explains what the owner proposes for the floor-to-area (FAR) ratio, side yard setbacks, parking, and lot consolidation in his description of the project.

The owner proposes to build a three-story, 29,000 square feet building on a 19,195 square foot parcel consisting of four lots in the C-1-1 zone. The proposed building would include 5,250 square feet of retail on the Boardwalk, 2,735 square feet of retail on the second floor along Sunset Avenue, an 800 square foot apartment on the second floor, and 20,000 square feet of office space on the second and third stories (all square footage is approximate).

Floor to Area Ratio
Section 11.B.3. of the VCZSP allows a floor-to-area ratio (FAR) of 1.0:1 for a retail / office project on these lots, and allows a FAR of 1.5:1 for retail and/or office and residential projects. The VCZSP does not define “residential projects,” and the owner states that the City agrees that the inclusion of an 800 square foot apartment allows the owner to have an FAR of 1.5:1 and build a 50% larger building, with an extra 9,600 square feet of office and retail space.

Side Yard Setback
Section 11.B.4 of the VCZSP requires a minimum of 5 feet between commercial and residential buildings, except for “mixed-use” projects. The owner proposes to build the south wall of the building on the south property line, which is approximately 3 feet from the adjacent residential (apartment) building to the south. The owner points out that the VCZSP does not define “mixed use” project, and the owner takes the position that by including the 800 square foot residential unit, the project should be classified as “mixed use,” such that the south wall of the building can be built up to the south property line, rather than set back five feet from the adjacent residential building to the south.

Parking
The proposed building would require 170 automobile parking spaces, including 43 parking spaces that are required to serve retail stores in adjacent buildings as per Parking Affidavits. The owner proposes to provide 134 automobile parking spaces and replace 32 automobile parking spaces with 128 bicycle parking spaces, and pay an in-lieu fee for 4 parking spaces. Some of the 128 bicycle parking spaces are proposed to be placed on public property, on the west side of the Boardwalk. The access to the parking for the proposed building will be on Speedway. The owner intends to allow public parking on weekends and perhaps at night, for a fee, however the owner is not willing to voluntarily commit to this.

Lot Consolidation
The owner proposes to consolidate four lots, however Section 9.A.1.e. of the Venice Coastal Zone Specific Plan (VCZSP) only allows consolidation of either two or three lots. The owner’s position is that the lot tie (“Covenant and Agreement To Hold Property as One Parcel”) recorded on August 31, 1988, names all four of the lots, such that the four vacant lots are considered one lot and are already consolidated. The owner states that the City considers the entire property to be one consolidated lot, and not four lots.