The upper Larchmont Village area between Beverly Boulevard and Melrose Avenue is composed mostly of one- and two-story buildings. (photo by Edwin Folven)

A neighborhood planning initiative that could serve as a model for future development in the upper Larchmont Village area between Beverly Boulevard and Melrose Avenue has been gaining traction in the community.

Known as Larchmont 2030, the initiative was unanimously supported by the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee on July 22 and has been endorsed by the Larchmont Boulevard Association, Larchmont Village Business Improvement District and the Larchmont United Neighborhood Association. Larchmont 2030 was created by Sam Uretsky, of Reboot Larchmont and the Larchmont United Neighborhood Association, and Lindsay Sturman, co-founder of the Livable Communities Initiative, as a guide to boost economic vitality in the upper Larchmont area while preserving the neighborhood’s character and charm. The stretch of Larchmont Boulevard is primarily composed of one- and two-story buildings, but developers are attempting to build two much larger buildings on the street that the community does not support, Uretsky said. The initiative is going through the public vetting process and will later be forwarded to the city for consideration.

If adopted, Larchmont 2030 would serve as a voluntary guide for development in the area. Developers would not be required to follow it, but the initiative includes pre-approved project designs and floor-plan examples that incentivize them to adhere to the plan when building. Uretsky said it is a win-win because developers can eliminate the red tape of the permitting process and save money, and the building designs create housing and retail space that are in character with the neighborhood.

“As projects began to appear on upper Larchmont that were frankly inappropriate in scale and injurious to neighbors in many ways, we were looking for a solution on how to provide what we wanted in neighborhood-scale development, sensible housing with an affordable component,” Uretsky said. “We were looking for solutions for affordable home ownership, because what we’d like to do for Larchmont is bring in new stakeholders. We want people to move to Larchmont who are committed to Larchmont. We’re hoping to provide a framework using standard plans.”

Uretsky said the initiative was created with the understanding that the city is growing and more housing is sorely needed. The Larchmont 2030 initiative encourages residential over retail buildings of up to five stories. Uretsky said the plan would encourage economic growth and potentially create a vibrant business community similar to the stretch of Larchmont Boulevard south of Beverly Boulevard.

“Larchmont 2030 is the reimagination of upper Larchmont using standard plans to allow high quality affordable housing with family sized units through ownership, thoughtful at-neighborhood scale ground floor retail opportunities for small businesses, innovative parking solutions, enhanced mobility options and a streetscape able to be easily activated for community events,” he added. “The goal is an enhanced community with a new approach to inclusionary home ownership and preserving the wonderful character of Larchmont. That’s it in a nutshell.”

Uretsky said he has discussed the Larchmont 2030 initiative with Los Angeles City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, 13th District, and his staff, and the councilman has been preliminarily supportive. The Los Angeles City Council is currently on summer recess and Soto-Martinez’s spokesman said the councilman was not available for comment. In addition to business associations in Larchmont Village, some neighbors said they are thrilled about the plan.

“I am just over the moon about it,” said David Grant, a 15-year resident of Gower Street, located a block east of Larchmont Boulevard. “There are so many great things to say about it. I think the most important thing to know is that since I’ve been there on Gower, there have been these endless turf wars between developers and the community, and they are at complete odds with each other. There are so many different agendas, but mostly the problem is that the developers are typically trying to build buildings that maximize the number of units without really any regard for the livable nature of the units or the community at large. It’s all profit driven and because of that, there’s been no real progress. When I saw this proposal I thought, ‘Oh, wow.’ I mean, this is the miracle compromise in our day and age.”

Uretsky said the initiative could serve as a model for responsible development in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. The motion next goes before the full GWNC Board on Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 6:30 p.m., via Zoom. For information on GWNC board meetings, visit greaterwilshire.org.