New Apartment Complex Headed to Kings Road

Despite vocal opposition from neighbors, the Planning Commission approved a new apartment complex for Kings Road at its Thursday night meeting.

Two 1920s-era single-family homes at 1232 and 1236 N. Kings Rd. (between Santa Monica Boulevard and Fountain Avenue) will be demolished to make way for a four-story, 25-unit apartment complex.

The new building is designed to blend in with the existing buildings on either side. The north end of the building will be four stories to match the four-story building beside it, while the south end will have only two stories at street side to match the two-story building beside it.

To further distinguish it, the north end of the building has a composite wood siding while the south end has white siding, a design the commissioners praised. “I like the fact that it looks like two buildings,” said Commissioner Lauren Meister.

In unanimously approving the building, the commissioners commended the fact that it has four affordable units and is intended as rental units rather than luxury condominiums. They also liked that it will be a green building with solar panels. “This is going above and beyond the green building design,” said Commissioner David Aghaei.

Neighbors living on Kings Road turned out in strong numbers during public comment opposing it. They called it a “big-box” development and said construction would disrupt their lives. They also said it would add to traffic on the street and impact street parking.

Commissioner Marc Yeber called the residents concerns “classic NIMBYism” (Not In My Back Yard). “There hasn’t been any compelling reason why this shouldn’t move forward,” Yeber said.

That angered already vocal opponents who had been shouting out questions and comments while the commissioners deliberated, a time when the public is not allowed to speak. Several loudly walked out of the room when it became obvious the commissioners were not going to vote the way they wanted.

After the meeting ended, architect Edward Levin told Weho Patch he was happy about the decision. “I worked with the city on their affordable housing guideline and I worked with them on the green building guidelines,” Levin said. “So to work on this building is very gratifying.”

Two other items on the commission’s agenda were postponed to a later date. One was a request for a two-year extension to commence construction on the Palm Restaurant mixed-use building at 9001 Santa Monica Blvd. That item will be heard at the commission’s Sept. 1 meeting.

The other was a zone-text amendment requiring to get a conditional use permit to operate those facilities. While six Weho churches/temples would be affected by the amendment, it is aimed at a single facility—the Iranian American Jewish Federation on Crescent Heights at Fountain Avenue.

Neighbors have repeatedly complained about the noise coming from that IAJF banquet hall. Currently, the city has no way to regulate the facility, but this amendment would give it that power. The hearing was initially scheduled for April, but has been continued several times since then. No date has been scheduled for the next hearing.

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