The long-vacant property at 23036-23060 Ventura Boule-vard, just east of Bowlero Bowling Alley, has been sold to a private developer who is proposing to build affordable residential housing on the site.
Daylight Community Development is a builder of Measure HHH-funded projects in Los Angeles, North Hollywood, Long Beach and Van Nuys.
Their North Hollywood projects offer housing for women, individuals and youth experiencing homelessness.
FSN Architects has designed the project, with a six-story building fronting the boulevard with a taller eight-story structure behind it.
The development would include 100 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with 25 units of permanent supportive housing and 74 units of low-income housing, plus a manager’s unit.
The permanent supportive housing will be priced for the very low income levels.
Daylight’s website describes the firm as “a social affordable housing venture targeted at ending chronic homelessness in Los Angeles. By taking advantage of recent zoning and regulation changes, newly available public funding sources, and modular construction, Daylight is paving a path forward in building critical housing faster and cheaper with maximum social impact.”
Daylight Community Development is also going to receive $23.8 million to build 132 supportive units in shipping containers, awarded as part of the City of Los Angeles’ $120 million housing innovation challenge funds under Proposition HHH. As part of the development strategy, a portion of the HHH funds would be repaid after three years with private, social impact financing.
The firm was founded in 2018 by three UCLA Anderson MBA graduate students.
Partner Greg Comanor, when asked by Valley News Group if the project would shelter the homeless rather than those with low income, said he “could not comment at this time as they just filed case information and documents with Los Angeles City Planning – and things could change over the course of entitlements.”
Permanent supportive housing, however, is defined as “evidence-based housing intervention that combines on-going rental assistance with supportive services such as health and mental health care for chronically homeless households.”
Comanor himself is an Encino native that grew up in the valley and says he is “part of the valley community.” He said Daylight plans to work with the Neighborhood Council and other community groups as they move forward with the project.
Several of these groups have already expressed misgivings about the height and density of the project.
