The Los Angeles City Planning Commission has voted to support a proposed permanent supportive housing project in the Sawtelle community, rejecting an appeal from a neighboring property owner which sought to block its construction.

Affirmed Housing Group, the developer behind the proposed project at 2444-2456 S. Barry Avenue, is pursuing entitlements to raze three small rental buildings to make way for the construction of a larger apartment complex.  Plans call for a six-story building featuring 61 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, split between permanent supportive housing and traditional low-income units.

Designed by Withee Malcolm Architects, the podium-type building would be arranged in a U-shaped footprint, with open space amenities such as a courtyard and a rooftop.  Architectural plans show an exterior of stucco and metal panels.

Three days following the issuance of a determination letter for the project in August, neighboring property owner David Maman submitted an appeal to the City of Los Angeles, urging the Planning Commission to overturn approvals granted to Affirmed Housing.  Maman argued that the proposed apartment complex is too large relative to surrounding structures, and will impact the amount of available street parking in the community.

A staff response stated that the project was in full compliance with local zoning rules and state land use regulations, and recommended that the Commission should uphold the determination letter issued by the Planning Department.

San Diego-based Affirmed Housing is currently in the midst of construction on multiple affordable and permanent supportive housing developments in the Los Angeles area, including new apartment buildings in Westlake, East Hollywood, and South Los Angeles.  Besides the Barry Avenue project, its future pipeline includes a new complex in the unincorporated community of Westmont.

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