The Los Angeles City Planning Commission has approved plans for an eight-story mixed-use development at 4201 West Pico Boulevard in Mid-Whilshire, occupying a one-acre assemblage at the intersection of Pico Boulevard, Crenshaw Boulevard, and Victoria Avenue. The proposal replaces a mix of low-rise commercial buildings, a warehouse, and a single-family residence with a 220-unit apartment building above ground-floor retail space.
The project proposal is submitted by 4201 Pico Investment, LLC. Asulon Architecture & Design is responsible for the designs.
The project will contain 167,900 square feet of total floor area. The site is zoned C4-1-O and designated for Neighborhood Office Commercial uses, where the base height district would ordinarily permit a maximum FAR of 1.5 to 1. That baseline would have allowed approximately 111 residential units on the 43,448-square-foot lot. Through State Density Bonus law, the applicant qualified for a 100 percent density increase by reserving 35 apartments as affordable, including 18 units for Very Low Income households and 17 units for Moderate Income households. The entitlement framework allowed the project to scale to 220 units.
4201 W. Pico Boulevard Site via Asulon Architecture & Design
In addition to the density increase, the approval includes several off-menu incentives and a development standard waiver that reshaped the project’s building envelope. The Commission permitted an increase in FAR to 3.86 to 1, a 31.4 percent reduction in required open space to allow 15,800 square feet in lieu of 23,025 square feet, a zero-foot side yard setback along Victoria Avenue where 11 feet would otherwise be required, and relief from transitional height limits adjacent to R1-zoned properties. A separate waiver reduced required on-site tree planting from 55 trees to 38. These adjustments collectively enabled the eight-story structure to rise to a maximum height of 96 feet and 4 inches.
The development will include 12,496 square feet of ground-floor commercial space divided into multiple tenant spaces wrapping Pico Boulevard and portions of Crenshaw Boulevard and Victoria Avenue. Residential amenities include indoor recreation rooms, private balconies, a first-floor patio, and a fourth-floor courtyard open to the sky. The project will provide 174 vehicle parking spaces within three levels of podium parking, along with 162 bicycle parking spaces. Although the site qualifies for zero minimum parking under Assembly Bill 2097 due to its location within one-half mile of a major transit stop, the applicant elected to provide on-site parking.
4201 West Pico Boulevard via Asulon Architecture & Design
Located at the convergence of two major commercial corridors, the property sits within a Transit Priority Area and carries C4 zoning intended for higher-intensity commercial and residential uses. The intersection of Pico and Crenshaw has long functioned as a commercial node, and Planning staff concluded that the mixed-use infill project aligns with both the Wilshire Community Plan land use designation and State housing policy objectives. The project was processed under the Housing Element streamlining provisions and found to be within the scope of the certified Housing Element Environmental Impact Report.
With approval granted, the project now advances as one of the larger recent infill proposals in the Mid-Wilshire area, demonstrating how State Density Bonus law can substantially expand development capacity at transit-served intersections while securing long-term affordability commitments.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Be the first to comment on "City Planning Commission Approves 220-Unit Mixed-Use Development at 4201 W. Pico Boulevard"