Hillside Infill Proposal Takes Shape at 1666 North Alvarado Street in Echo Park

A steep, undeveloped hillside parcel in Echo Park could soon be activated with a compact residential project that blends small lot homes and accessory dwelling units, according to materials filed with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning. The site, located at 1666 North Alvarado Street, has remained vacant despite surrounding development, largely due to its irregular topography and fragmented street access.

Plans submitted by property owner Joanne Kootsikas outline a nine-unit residential program distributed across multiple buildings rather than a single apartment structure. The proposal relies on a combination of small lot subdivision homes and accessory dwelling units, an approach that allows housing to be inserted incrementally on constrained sites without requiring large floor plates or podium construction.

Architect Dave Parker is responsible for the design, which is shown as a group of contemporary, four-story residential structures stepping with the slope of the hillside. Ground-level parking is incorporated directly into the buildings, minimizing the need for extensive grading while preserving usable space for housing above.

One of the more technical elements of the proposal involves the vacation of an unbuilt segment of Effie Street that cuts through the property. Although the street was never developed, its paper designation currently divides the site, and removing it would allow the parcels to function as a cohesive residential layout. City approval would be required before construction could proceed under the proposed configuration.

Rather than introducing a single large residential mass, the project represents a small-scale infill strategy tailored to Echo Park’s hillside conditions. If approved, the development at 1666 North Alvarado Street would add new ownership-oriented housing while demonstrating how small lot and ADU typologies can be deployed to unlock difficult, leftover parcels within established neighborhoods.

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