Plans call for the building at 400 S. San Vicente Blvd. to be demolished later this month. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Demolition is expected to begin soon on a two-story strip mall at 400 S. San Vicente Blvd. in Beverly Grove, just east of Beverly Hills.

The .77-acre site, which is vacant and fenced, will be cleared to make way for an eight-story luxury residential project with 126 units and 11,840 square feet of restaurant and retail space. Plans call for construction to begin in July at the site, which is located on the east side of San Vicente Boulevard at the intersection of La Cienega Boulevard and Burton Way.

The Los Angeles Department of City Planning granted a density bonus for the residential project because it will include 14 affordable units. It will also have 6,200 square feet of open space and 153 parking spaces on three levels of underground parking.

The site is being developed by the Abraham Companies, which acquired the property in 2022. The project received City Council approval in 2024.

“We look forward to creating a much-needed mix of new housing and neighborhood-serving restaurant and retail spaces at one of L.A.’s most iconic intersections,” Abraham Companies president J.J. Abraham said when the redevelopment project was announced.

An exact timeline for demolition and construction was not available, a spokesman for the developer said. The new eight-story residential building will be located near other buildings of similar height including Cedars-Sinai’s 11-story Mark Goodson Building at 444 S. San Vicente Blvd., and the eight-story 8500 Burton Luxury Apartments, which was built by developer Rick Caruso. Plans call for construction to begin soon on a 12-story medical office tower with ground-floor retail space at the northeast corner of Wilshire and San Vicente boulevards, where a Big 5 store was formerly located.

While the new building at 400 S. San Vicente Blvd. will bring much-need housing to the area, some residents are concerned about the height and the impact it will have on residential neighbors east of the site. Harald Hahn, president of the Burton Way Homeowners Association, criticized city leaders for approving projects that permanently change the character of communities.

“Obviously, it’s totally inappropriate for the area,” Hahn said. “It will disrupt all the neighbors. They will be living in shade half the day. It’s way too big for the area. But it doesn’t matter what we think anymore.”

State laws aimed at encouraging developers to build housing allow density bonuses if affordable units are included. The city of Los Angeles also prioritizes housing projects on major thoroughfares near transit hubs through the Transit Oriented Communities program. The project at 400 S. San Vicente Blvd. will be located approximately half a mile from the Metro D Line subway station at Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards, which is scheduled to open in fall 2025.