A mixed-use project that is slated to bring 84 apartments to the area near Melrose Avenue and Larchmont Boulevard is currently under construction, and the developers hope to have the work completed by April 2015.

The CW, a mixed-use project being developed by California Landmark, is slated for completion by April 2015. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

However, on Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council continued a motion to remove a street-widening improvement for the development, which has been proposed by California Landmark, a self-proclaimed medium-size real estate company founded in 1988.

Patrick Roberts, California Landmark’s senior vice president of development, said the project, dubbed The CW, is being constructed under old entitlements. The original plan, proposed in 2007, called for condominiums, which would have required widening the street by 15 feet, he said.

“It’s a silly Department of Transportation condition they put on condominiums,” Roberts said, adding that the requirement is moot now that the company is building apartments. He said the developers have offered to provide more landscaping and other benefits in lieu of street widening. “[City officials] were fully on board.”

Roberts said widening the street would just result in a smaller sidewalk.

“It makes no sense from a safety and pedestrian point of view to widen Melrose,” he said, adding that there would be no public benefit unless every neighboring property owner opted to widen their section of the avenue as well.

According to city documents, the street widening would create an additional lane of traffic that would be unusable beyond the development’s property lines. A wider sidewalk and additional landscaping would be more beneficial, the documents state. According to the city, the retail space will draw more foot traffic, though Roberts said the developers are still seeking tenants.

Doug Haines, of the La Mirada Avenue Neighborhood Association, planned to speak at the council meeting before the motion was continued. He said the removal of the street-widening requirement would violate an agreement the association had with the developers as a result of a court case.

“We need to resolve it before they vote on it,” Haines said. “All of this can be worked out.”

He said the property has a “really ugly history,” as the original developers threatened to deport tenants of a building that once sat on the property but has since been bulldozed. The original building was a 1916 bungalow village with about 48 units, Haines said.

He said the association tried to have the property designated as historic, but somehow security guards did not see someone tearing out doors and other fixtures shortly before the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission was to survey the property.

Haines said the commission denied designating the building, which was bulldozed before a CEQA analysis was released. However, the city’s Planning Commission denied the developer’s project unanimously, he said.

“The whole thing was crazy, but then it got worse,” Haines said, adding that the applicant appealed the commission decision, amendments were thrown in at the last minute and the city’s Planning Department refused to support the findings of the Los Angeles City Council.

In court, the city attorney decided not to defend the project, and the developers asked the association to settle, he said.

“It is a much better project [now],” Haines added.

The CW will be located at 5663-5647 Melrose Ave. and 5742-5766 W. Camerford Ave., as an alley separates the two parcels. The property will offer four affordable housing units.

Roberts said California Landmark is pleased to see the project under construction. The company is also in the midst of constructing a 79-unit residential building at Fairfax Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, he said. Additionally, California Landmark just completed another project at Wilshire Boulevard and Barrington Avenue.

“Any project that we’re working on is exciting to see it come to a finish. With mixed use components, it’ll kind of activate the north side of Melrose,” Roberts said, adding that the area has not seen much growth and development. “I think it’s really exciting for that community to see something new.”

He added that the development will add a “nice cap” to Larchmont Boulevard.

“We’re really excited,” Roberts said.