Rendering: Togawa Smith Martin

New residential developments are springing up all along the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that runs through Echo Park. 

The latest project proposed for this bustling thoroughfare is 1489 Sunset, a mixed-use building containing 136 apartments and 8,000 square feet of ground-floor restaurant space. According to a development proposal submitted to Los Angeles City Planning earlier this month, the 0.95-acre site is currently occupied by a surface parking lot, three vacant single-story commercial buildings, and a two-story mixed-use building with five residential units, although the latter structure would be retained. 

Plans call for 55 studios, 14 junior one-bedroom units, 35 one-bedroom units and 32 two-bedroom units. Fifteen apartments are to be set aside for extremely low income households in exchange for Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) incentives. Floorplans range from 409 to 1,075 square feet in size, each offering in-suite laundry. Select units boast private balconies, ensuite bathrooms and large walk-in closets.

Rendering: Togawa Smith Martin

A two-level underground parking garage is expected to provide 116 vehicle parking spaces, and 110 bicycle parking spaces are planned throughout the building. Eight restaurant spaces, each spanning 1,000 square feet and some containing outdoor dining space, would front Sunset Boulevard.

The residential lobby and mailroom are accessed from the side of the building, providing access to a 1,510-square-foot, podium-level amenity space. Here, future residents can expect a swimming pool, colorful lounge furniture, an artificial green wall, dining tables and a wall fireplace.

Meantime, the 2,450-square-foot roof deck provides additional outdoor space for lounging and cooking, complete with an artificial turf lawn, fire pit table, barbecue, dining tables with umbrellas, comfortable seating and oversized planters.

Rendering: Togawa Smith Martin

1489 Sunset was designed by Togawa Smith Martin to be clad in stucco, fiber cement panels and siding, ribbed and smooth metal panels, and glass and metal balcony guardrails. The mixed-use building’s modern design is characterized by “a range of architectural elements including texture, materials and colors,” explains a findings document

If the project is approved, renters will live within walking distance of Echo Park Lake, Elysian Park, Dodger Stadium, and the many restaurants, bars and local businesses that dot Sunset Boulevard. The Sunset-McDuff Public Stairway, a piece of hillside history that’s located onsite, would also be preserved.

Developer Champion Real Estate Company has entitled two other mixed-use projects in Hollywood, and recently gained approval for a 30-story apartment building with 269 units that’s situated kitty-corner to the Capitol Records Building.

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