Mid-City West Council Meets Tomorrow to Discuss Project Adjacent to WeHo’s Westmount Drive

L.A.’s Mid-City West Community Council is holding a meeting tomorrow night to discuss a proposed development in Los Angeles that residents of parts of West Hollywood West fear will throw shade over their neighborhood.

Stark Properties, the Ohio-based developer, is proposing to replace Mikey’s Car Wash at 431 N. La Cienega Blvd. with a six-story building with 87 apartments. The building would be just under 67 feet high, a substantial increase over the 45-foot height currently authorized by the City of Los Angeles’ zoning law for that property. The ground floor of the building would have almost 3,000 square feet of commercial space, and there would be two levels of underground parking.

Stark Properties is asking for an increase in the density bonus from the currently permitted 21.5% to 27.5%. Such a bonus allows a developer to build a bigger project than currently authorized in exchange for providing affordable housing. Stark proposes to make 11% of the units priced low enough for very low income people.

It also wants to eliminate the five-foot public right away along Westmount Drive that currently is required by the City of Los Angeles. And it wants to eliminate the required 18-foot setback for a portion of the rear of the building.

The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the auditorium at the headquarters of the L.A. Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women, which is at 543 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles.

The West Hollywood West Residents Association has alerted its members to the meeting, some of whom are expected to show up to speak about their concerns about the building’s height given its location right behind residences on Westmount Drive in West Hollywood. In August the WHWRA asked residents to ask the West Hollywood City Council to push the Los Angeles City Council for an environmental impact review of the project.

Stark Enterprises is said to have bought the property for $21.25 million, or about $652 a square foot, one of the most expensive property deals on a square foot basis in the area.