Multi-Family
Valley Multi-Family: 65-Unit ED1 Affordable Housing, Westlake
This 65-unit development in the Westlake/MacArthur Park area shows how a shifting entitlement strategy can significantly change a project's outcome. What my team and I originally filed as a roughly 30-unit Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) project was reworked mid-process into a 65-unit affordable housing project under the City's ED1 program, more than doubling the unit count on the same lot.
VALLEY MULTI-FAMILY
Client: Valley Residence LLC
Status: In Plan-Check
Location: Westlake/MacArthur Park
Program:
Lot size - 15.730 sq. ft.
Building size - 41.700 sq. ft.
Stories - 4
Units - 65
TYPE V-A, I-A
TOC TIER 1
From TOC to ED1: Restructuring for More Units
Valley started as a standard TOC filing: roughly 30 units, using the density bonus most multifamily projects in Los Angeles rely on, an added percentage of units in exchange for a set-aside of restricted, low-income rent. Partway through, my team and I converted the project into a fully affordable housing development under ED1 (Executive Directive 1), the City's expedited approval track for 100% affordable projects. That shift took the unit count from roughly 30 to 65 on the same site, an outcome that would not have been possible under the original TOC structure alone.
For developers evaluating a site, this is the kind of decision point that separates an entitlement strategy that pencils from one that doesn't: the zoning and density tools available on a given lot aren't fixed once a project is filed. Choosing the right program, and knowing when to restructure mid-process, can materially change what a lot is worth building.
Parking: The Constraint That Disappeared
Under the original TOC scope, Valley carried a standard requirement for a full below-grade parking level, the kind of cost and schedule burden that shapes a multifamily pro forma more than almost anything else. Once the project moved under ED1, layered with the site's other qualifying designations, that requirement dropped to zero.
Parking has historically been the single biggest constraint on unit count in Los Angeles multifamily development, often a tighter limit than zoning or density allowances themselves. A stack of recent state and local changes, ED1 and AB 2097 among them, has reduced or eliminated that constraint on qualifying sites. It hasn't disappeared everywhere, and it still depends on the specific site and program, but on a project like Valley it removed one of the most expensive line items in the budget entirely.
Where the Project Stands
Valley is currently in plan-check. As with any entitled project, the architectural work is largely complete at this stage; the remaining timeline depends on city review and, ultimately, the client's construction schedule.
Considering a Multi-Family Project in Los Angeles?
My team and I work with developers across Los Angeles to find the entitlement path, TOC, density bonus, ED1, or otherwise, that gets the most out of a site. Schedule a consultation to talk through what's possible on your lot.