Project would bring 141 units of affordable housing to Canals
By Dolores Quintana
The California Coastal Commission has approved an extension for the review period for the 103,957 square foot Venice Median Project that would bring 141 units of affordable housing to the Venice Canals.
The Venice Dell Affordable Housing development has long been in the works. It was in December of 2016 when the City approved the Venice-Dell-Pacific site to be included in its Affordable Housing Opportunity Sites Program. The City then approved Venice Community Housing (VCH) and Hollywood Community Housing Corp. (HCHC) to pursue an affordable and permanent supportive housing development on the site.
On July 8, 2022, the City of Los Angeles submitted a request to amend its certified Venice Land Use Plan (LUP) for the Venice Dell Project to the California Coastal Commission for approval. Under normal circumstances, The CCC has 90 days to complete the filing of the request according to Section 30512 of the Coastal Act.
The amendment to the project is described in the filing and says, “The LUP would be amended to establish a new subarea with modified development standards for 40 lots located between Pacific Avenue, Dell Avenue, North Venice Boulevard, and South Venice Boulevard in Venice. The proposed amendment will allow the parcels to be developed with the Venice Dell Community Project, a mixed-use, affordable housing development.”
The CCC returned the application to the developers last month citing the need for more information about 20 items in the application that were deemed critical issues. Those items included the issues of groundwater use, access for the public, issues of parking, sea level rise and more detail about the financial agreements between the two developers.
On August 18, the CCC staff recommended that the deadline for the LUP amendment be extended. The CCC is allowed to ask for an extension for good cause. The 90-day period would expire on November 15 of 2022 and this request asks that the period be extended to November 15 of 2023. The extension filing explains the need for a delay and says, “Due to the coastal development permit application and local action CDP appeal associated with the amendment (i.e. the Venice Dell Community Project), a time extension is necessary to allow staff to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the proposed project and any potential impacts to coastal resources resulting from a change to development standards. Thus, the staff recommends that the Commission extend the time limit for review of LCP Amendment.” The CCC staff recommendation includes the admission that it is far more likely that their review will be completed in advance of the extended due date in 2023 but that they may not know the full extent of the time that will be needed to complete the review.
On Thursday, September 8, following their staff recommendation, California Coastal Commission (CCC) granted the extension to the Venice Dell Project.
