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Construction starts on 49-unit affordable building in North Hollywood

Construction starts on 49-unit affordable building in North Hollywood

Built World Los Angeles, CA local

A narrow, no-parking lot one block off Lankershim is now a four-story all-affordable project, approved through Los Angeles' Executive Directive 1 fast track

Today: Construction underway on Hazelhurst Place

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Crews are on site at 6144 N. Hazelhurst Place, a narrow lot one block off Lankershim Boulevard, building a four-story apartment complex with 49 units. Every unit is income-restricted, and the building has no on-site parking at all.

The project cleared review through Executive Directive 1, Mayor Karen Bass's order that gives fully affordable projects a streamlined path through city agencies, along with density-bonus incentives that trade extra height and floor area for affordability. It is one of roughly 47,000 units the mayor's office said were in the directive's pipeline citywide as of July. The test now is whether those approvals turn into finished buildings.

Why it matters

Los Angeles has approved far more fast-tracked affordable housing than it has finished; this 49-unit building is where that count starts to become real.

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Key Indicators

49
Apartments in the building
All 49 one- and two-bedroom units are income-restricted.
32 / 17
One-bedroom / two-bedroom split
Thirty-two one-bedroom and seventeen two-bedroom apartments.
0
On-site parking spaces
The project is built with no parking, a design the site's narrow lot makes practical.
26,290 sq ft
Building floor area
Permits describe a 26,290-square-foot, 100-percent affordable multifamily building.
~47,000
ED1 units in the citywide pipeline
Figure the mayor's office gave as of July 2026 for fully affordable units in the directive's queue.

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People Involved

Karen Bass
Karen Bass
Mayor of Los Angeles
In office; Executive Directive 1 remains the city's main fast-track for fully affordable projects

Organizations Involved

AH
Avenue Homes
Private housing developer
Developer of 6144 N. Hazelhurst Place

Los Angeles-based developer that builds small-lot, fully affordable infill projects.
OO
Open Office
Architecture firm
Design architect for the Hazelhurst Place building

Designs low-cost, stucco-clad infill apartment buildings for affordable developers.
LA
Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety
Municipal building department
Issues the building permits that show construction underway

The city agency that reviews and issues construction permits for Los Angeles buildings.
CL
City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning
City agency
Handled the discretionary review and entitlements

Reviews project applications and grants the density bonuses and streamlining that ED1 projects rely on.

Timeline

June 2025 November 2026

3 events Latest: Today

  1. Construction underway on Hazelhurst Place

    Today Construction

    Building and Safety permit filings show crews working on the 49-unit, 26,290-square-foot building with no on-site parking.

  2. City planning notice shows case on hold

    Permit

    A dated planning notice lists the Hazelhurst Place case as 'Case Processing on Hold,' a snapshot of review status at that point.

  3. Application filed for 49 affordable units

    Filing

    Avenue Homes applies to City Planning for a four-story, all-affordable building with no parking, seeking ED1 streamlining and density bonuses.

Scenarios

1

Building opens with 49 income-restricted apartments

Likely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Developer and city filings, which project a four-story building on an issued permit

Construction proceeds through framing, cladding, and inspection, and the building receives a certificate of occupancy. All 49 units lease at restricted rents, adding the first completed ED1 project on this block. Triggers to watch: foundation and framing inspections logged with Building and Safety, then a leasing announcement from Avenue Homes.

2

Construction stalls and the site goes quiet

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Housing analysts who track how often permitted affordable projects in Los Angeles pause mid-build

Small, all-affordable projects carry thin margins that depend on construction financing and city subsidy timing. A gap in funding or a contractor walk-off would leave a permitted, partially framed building behind. Triggers to watch: months with no inspection activity on the permit, or a recorded change of contractor.

3

Site changes hands before completion

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Real estate trade coverage, which reports small affordable developers selling entitled sites to larger builders

An entitled, permitted project with an ED1 approval has value on its own. Avenue Homes could sell the parcel or the development entity to a larger affordable housing builder, which would finish the building under new ownership. The units and their affordability restrictions would carry over.

Historical Context

One moment from history that rhymes with this story — and how it unfolded.

December 2022–present

Executive Directive 1 (2022)

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive directive in December 2022 ordering city departments to streamline review of projects that set aside 100 percent of their units as affordable housing. The order, plus density-bonus incentives that let developers build taller and denser in exchange for those units, shortened the path from application to permit on small infill sites that would otherwise struggle to pencil out.

Then

Fully affordable projects that previously spent years in discretionary review began moving through a faster, ministerial-style track.

Now

The city reported roughly 47,000 units in the directive's pipeline by July 2026, but approved pipeline units are not finished apartments, and conversion to construction has been slower than the approvals.

Why this matters now

The Hazelhurst Place building is one of the directive's outputs, and its progress from application to construction is a direct test of whether streamlined approvals produce buildings.

Sources

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Urbanize LA Hoodline LA YIMBY Urbanize LA