The City of West Hollywood’s Planning Commission approved two projects on August 5 that would significantly alter La Brea Avenue on the city’s eastside.

The Jon’s Market at Fountain and La Brea Avenues will be replaced by a mixed-use housing and retail project. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The projects, which are being proposed by the developer, Monarch Group, would be located at the corner of La Brea and Fountain Avenues, where a Jon’s Market is currently located, and at La Brea Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, at the site of an existing Carl’s Jr.

According to Francisco Contreras, a senior planner for the City of West Hollywood, both projects have generated support from residents and the city’s Eastside Project Area Committee (PAC), which guides development in the area. The six-story development at Santa Monica and La Brea will include 184 apartments with 37 units dedicated to affordable housing, as well as 13,350 square feet of ground floor retail space. Because the project would include a small adjacent parcel currently zoned as residential, that project will have to be considered by the West Hollywood City Council at a future date. Contreras said that was a formality, however, and he expects the project to be approved.

Contreras added that the planning commission’s approval of the project at La Brea and Fountain enables that development to move forward without city council approval. There are no zoning changes involved, so unless an appeal is filed prior to August 16, Monarch can begin requesting the necessary permits.

The six-story La Brea and Fountain project would include 187 apartments, along with 38 affordable units and 19,600 square feet of retail space. No retail tenants have yet been identified for either project, according to Contreras.

West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said he believes the projects will bring a new look to the city’s eastside, and will provide badly needed affordable housing.

“I think they are both very attractive projects. They put a lot of time and energy into gaining the support of the Eastside PAC, and have listened to the concerns of residents,” Heilman said. “I suspect there will be a lot of support at the city council level.”

West Hollywood Councilmem-ber John Duran said that although he had not yet reviewed the latest plans for the projects, he believes they will provide a boost for business in that portion of the city. The new developments would be located near the La Brea Gateway retail center, as well as a new housing and retail project a few blocks west that will be built at the Movietown Plaza.

“I think the Gateway project has brought new life to the eastside, and we are starting to see property values on the eastside approach those on the city’s westside,” Duran said. “Overall, I think the Eastside PAC has done a good job in improving the area. I am old enough to remember how that side of town looked in the 1980s, it was basically a red light district, and it doesn’t look anything like it did back then.”

Allyne Winderman, director of rent stabilization and housing for the City of West Hollywood, added that project will provide many new places to live, particularly for senior citizens, disabled persons and people living on fixed incomes.

“It really will be a significant change to the area, and it’s a big thing for the city,” Winderman said, “Each project has twenty percent affordable housing, and the great thing is that the affordable housing will be scattered throughout the project, so just because someone is a teacher instead of a stock broker, you won’t know that.”

Contreras added that a date for the city council to consider the Santa Monica and La Brea project has not yet been scheduled, but said it would likely occur during the council’s second meeting next month on September 20.