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237, 239 East Montreal Street / Specific Plan Exception / Coastal Development Permit / Mello Act Compliance Review / Categorical Exemption / Appeal

Council File 26-0681

Introduced
2026-05-05
Last changed
2026-05-06
Status
open
Expires
2028-05-05
Committee
Planning and Land Use Management Committee
Initiated by
Area Planning Commission (APC) / West Los Angeles
References
Case: APCW-2022-3943-SPE-CDP-MEL-HCA-1AEnvironmental:ENV-2022-3944-CE

Brief

The Area Planning Commission referred a request for a specific plan exception and coastal development permit for a project at 237-239 East Montreal Street in West Los Angeles. The application also includes a Mello Act compliance review and categorical exemption from environmental review. The file is pending before the Planning and Land Use Management Committee as of May 2026 and has a two-year expiration window.

Full summary

Applicant Justin Brevoort wants to build a four-story, 2,452-square-foot single-family home with an attached 742-square-foot accessory dwelling unit on a currently vacant, steeply sloped bluff-face lot in Playa Del Rey's Coastal Zone. The project requires two exceptions to the Coastal Bluffs Specific Plan: one allowing a 15-foot building height in the front portion of the lot instead of the 9-foot maximum, and one allowing an overall height of 49 feet 11 inches instead of the 45-foot cap. The lot's unusual geometry drives both requests — the front property line sits roughly 11 feet back from the sidewalk and 4 to 6 feet below the street curb elevation, meaning strict application of the height rules would produce a home barely 3 feet above curb level with a driveway too steep to meet code. The commission found that neighboring homes built before the Specific Plan averaged about 12 feet 4 inches as measured from the curb midpoint, and that the proposed structure would actually be slightly shorter than the tallest existing home on the street. The West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission voted 4-0 on January 21, 2026, to approve the Specific Plan Exception, the Coastal Development Permit, and the Mello Act Compliance Review, and to adopt a categorical exemption from environmental review under CEQA. The commission found the height exceptions consistent with the intent of the Coastal Bluffs Specific Plan, which was designed to measure height from curb elevation — an intent that strict lot-line measurement would undermine for properties like this one. Because the project adds only two residential units, it is categorically exempt from the Mello Act's inclusionary housing requirement for small new developments. The project also sits in a Dual Permit Jurisdiction area of the California Coastal Zone, meaning a second permit from the California Coastal Commission will be required before construction can begin. Neighbors Elise Slifkin-McClure, Dennis McClure, and Patrick Kane Dossett filed an appeal on April 9, 2026 — one day before the deadline — challenging the commission's entire decision, including the CEQA clearance. Because the appeal covers all entitlements, the full record is now before the City Council. The West LA Area Planning Commission transmitted the case on April 30, 2026, and it was referred to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee on May 6, 2026. The Council has 75 days from the last day to appeal to act. Conditions of approval adopted by the commission include limits on building height and density, bird-safe glass on deck railings, drought-tolerant landscaping, methane mitigation measures, and a requirement to obtain the California Coastal Commission's dual permit before any construction permits are issued.

Activity (2)

  • 2026-05-06 Area Planning Commission (APC) / West Los Angeles document(s) referred to Planning and Land Use Management Committee.
  • 2026-05-05 Document submitted by Area Planning Commission (APC) / West Los Angeles, dated April 30, 2026.

Documents (8)

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