WeHo Design Review Group Gives Positive Reviews to Projects on Spaulding and Formosa

Two apartment/condominium projects received positive reviews from the Design Review subcommittee of West Hollywood’s Planning Commission on Thursday night.

1041-1047 N. Spaulding Ave.

A proposed three-story, 14-unit apartment building with subterranean parking at 1041-1047 N. Spaulding Ave., just south of Santa Monica Boulevard, would replace two single-family homes. Designed by architect Kip Dickson, the project includes six units on the ground level, plus eight townhouse units with rooftop terraces on the second and third floors.

The project would feature a courtyard design with an outdoor seating area in the center of ground floor courtyard area. The upper floors would be broken up into four distinct segments (two townhouse units per segment), with each segment having a slightly different design and different materials covering the exterior.

Commissioner John Altschul felt these different segments looked nice individually, but wasn’t sure if they all went together. “I think you need to look at the idea of giving it cohesion,” Altschul said. However, Commissioner Sue Buckner liked the different segments and thought the different materials went together well. Otherwise, the commissioners were enthusiastic about the building.

During the public comment period, resident Lynn Russell said it needed more “curb appeal,” in terms of color and definition. The project is owned by Guild GC Inc.

1227 N. Formosa Ave.

A three-story, five-unit townhouse condominium project with subterranean parking at 1227 N. Formosa, south of Fountain Avenue, would replace a single-family house. Designed by Andrea Keller of the Los Angeles-based A-K-A Architecture + Design, each unit has three bedrooms and three baths, plus rooftop terraces.

The commissioners were pleased with the building, but concerned about its height overshadowing the adjacent buildings. They were especially concerned about the stairwell to the roof terrace of the front unit, which makes the building appear as if it were four stories tall. Buckner suggested they find a way to move or eliminate that stairwell.

In the design review memo, urban design consultant Gwynne Pugh called the project “elegant and cohesive.” During the public comment period, resident Lynn Russell called the design “exquisite” and said it “fits the neighborhood well.” The building is owned by JMC Formosa Properties.

Postponed

The subcommittee was also scheduled to review two other projects, but both were postponed.

The first was an L-shaped, four-story 48-unit senior care center at 923-931 N. Palm Ave., north of Cynthia Street. That project, designed by WeHo resident Ed Levin, would sit behind and to the southern side of two single-family bungalows which the City Council designated as Local Cultural Resources in 2013, a designation that prevents their demolition. Since the new building is on the same property as the two historically designated homes, the project must first go the city’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) for review. HPC is currently scheduled to hear this project at its June meeting, and then the Design Review subcommittee will offer feedback on the project in July.

The second was a four-story, 22-unit condominium project at 1120-1124 N. Larrabee St., just north of Sunset Boulevard (directly behind the IAC building). However, Altschul had to recuse himself upon realizing that he lived within 500 feet of the project, so the review was postponed until later this summer.