A new 5-story, 109 unit apartment building is proposed for the site of the former Wally’s wine and cheese store at 2121 Westwood.
The developer – RBM of California, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Residence Building Management Company – filed for entitlements with the City of Los Angeles on October 7, 2020. The project will include a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units above a two-level, 128-car subterranean parking garage.
Because of its proximity to bus stops on Westwood, the property is categorized as a Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) “Tier 2” site. RBM is requesting TOC incentives, which would permit an increase in allowable density and height relative to the property’s base zoning. In exchange for these incentives, RBM would be required to set aside 14 apartments for very low- and extremely low-income households. More renderings of the project here:
WSSM is very concerned about proximity of the proposed building to the single-family homes on Midvale Avenue, which abut the commercial properties on Westwood without so much as an alleyway to provide distance and buffering. Another big problem is that the project does not include any retail or other neighborhood-serving uses on the first floor. Instead, the developer proposes building amenities and habitable spaces fronting the sidewalk along Westwood. This aspect of the project is completely at odds with the Pedestrian Oriented District (POD) design guidelines that apply to this area and threatens to completely kill-off pedestrian traffic on this once-bustling stretch of Westwood Boulevard.