Larchmont Apartments, Marlborough School and June St Townhouses Reviewed at Land Use Meeting

The Land Use Committee of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council heard from a variety of projects about to get underway in the greater  Hancock Park area in coming months.

The 84 unit “LC” project (temporarily named LC for Larchmont and Camerford, its south and north boundaries)  is now under construction on Melrose Ave at Larchmont Blvd. The project has been fully approved by the City, but the developer California Landmark shared new renderings of the project showing anondized aluminum panels on the front face.  They also detailed plans for $100,000 in beautification funds to plant trees along Camerford, El Centro and Melrose, noting that LA’s Urban Forestry division will determine the tree size and specimens. Landmark also said they may approach the City with a plan to NOT widen the street at the location with the street ‘cut outs’ required for new buildings, but instead try to create a 25′  wide frontage between the building and Melrose Ave. They would plant an additional row of trees and plantings, in essence creating an urban ‘plaza’ for walking and sitting. This may also make the 3350 square feet of retail on the ground level more accessible and enjoyable to pedestrians walking on the busy street.

Representatives from Marlborough School also appeared before the Land Use Committee to share their plans for expanding their athletic field, re-locating their swimming pool and adding an aquatic center beneath it, and adding additional parking on the campus at Rossmore and Third in the heart of Hancock Park. In this stage of the facilities development, which was approved in 1999 and has the “written consent from neighbors”, Marlborough will take down the two homes on the corner of Arden Blvd and Third and utilize the full southeast corner of the block for the campus. The pool will be relocated, turned 90 degrees and include an underground aquatics center, and the field will be repositioned and become a full size regulation field. A garden will be located to the south of the field and separate it from a new small parking lot to be added on the corner of Arden and Third, accessible from the same entrance on Arden used for the underground parking lot.

KTGY Architects described their plans for building a small lot subdivision at 816-828 N June St, north of Melrose. The 12 units will be organized in two six home clusters surrounding a “drive and pedestrian zone” that will only be partially paved and offer some green and air space for the three level, 2-3 bedroom apartments. Designed in a “soft modern style with mediterranean influences”, the subdivision has been approved by the City but still has to clear hurdles on setbacks, rooftop decks, and a height of 36 feet. The property, zoned at RD 1.5, butts up against an industrial building and parking lot to the east and residential homes to the north and south. KTGY has not yet shared their plans with residents in the neighborhood and was encouraged to do so before returning to the Land Use Committee with further plans.

Larchmont Buzz: Construction Begins on Melrose Mixed Use Project Near Larchmont Blvd.