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12501–12665 West Ventura Boulevard / Plan Review (PR) / Specific Plan Project Compliance (SPPC) / Environmental Clearance / Appeal

Council File 26-1081-S1

Under review — a major mixed-use project in Studio City with 814 apartments and restaurants is facing a Council challenge over planning compliance and environmental review, with a committee hearing scheduled for October.

Introduced
2026-08-14
Last changed
2026-09-18
CFMS file status
File open See note on file status
Expires
2028-09-18
Committee
Planning and Land Use Management Committee
Initiated by
Los Angeles City Planning Commission
References
Case: CPC-2025-5697-DB-PR-SPPC-MCUP- VHCA-1AEnvironmental: ENV-2025-5698-SERelated Cases: VTT-84453; VTT-84453-1A; VTT-84453-2A

This is the City Clerk's status for the council file itself, not the outcome of the measure. A file often stays open after the Council has already adopted an item. The summary above reflects the latest recorded action.

Brief

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission referred a plan review and specific plan compliance case for a development project at 12501–12665 West Ventura Boulevard. The file includes environmental clearance and addresses an appeal. It was referred to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee on August 14, 2026, and is scheduled for committee hearing on October 13, 2026. The case involves variances and conditional use permits related to the project's compliance with applicable specific plan requirements.

Full summary

This file concerns a large mixed-use development proposed by Brett Torino and Eleda Cohen of Studio City Sports Center, LLC for a roughly 6-acre site on the north side of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, Council District 4. The project would demolish all existing structures — currently four one- and two-story commercial buildings totaling about 125,000 square feet — and replace them with a 744,906-square-foot development containing 814 residential units and approximately 76,000 square feet of restaurant space spread across seven-story buildings reaching 84 feet in height. Of the 814 units, 46 (7 percent) would be reserved for Very Low Income households for 99 years. The project also includes roughly 90,000 square feet of open space, four subterranean levels of parking with over 1,800 spaces, and nine restaurant establishments authorized to serve a full line of alcoholic beverages. The applicant plans to salvage and reinstall the site's historic illuminated "BOWL" roof sign as a public art piece in coordination with the Department of Cultural Affairs. Because the site is subject to the Ventura/Cahuenga Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan, which limits building height to 30 feet and floor area ratios to 1.0:1, the project required substantial regulatory relief. Using California's State Density Bonus Law, the applicant secured one off-menu incentive to boost the FAR from 1.0:1 to 3.2:1, along with five waivers of development standards covering height (84 feet instead of 30), lot coverage (74 percent instead of 60), rear yard setback (18 inches instead of 19 feet), transitional height provisions, and roof perimeter setback requirements. The project also received a Conditional Use Permit for alcohol sales at up to eight commercial restaurant tenancies, with hours limited to 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The project is located within half a mile of a major transit stop and is exempt from minimum automobile parking requirements under AB 2097, though the applicant voluntarily proposes over 1,800 spaces. Environmental review was completed using a statutory exemption under Public Resources Code Section 21080.66, added by AB 130 in June 2025, which exempts qualifying infill housing developments from CEQA. The City Planning Commission voted 6-0 on June 11, 2026, to approve the density bonus, plan review, specific plan project compliance, conditional use permit, and environmental clearance. The Studio City Residents Association and Save LA River Open Space, represented by attorney Amy C. Minteer, filed an appeal on July 27, 2026 — one day before the final deadline — challenging the plan review, specific plan compliance approval, and the environmental clearance. The density bonus approval itself was not appealed and is not advancing to City Council. The City Planning Commission transmitted the file to the City Clerk on August 4, 2026, creating this Council File. Council has 75 days from the last day to appeal (July 28, 2026) to act. The Planning and Land Use Management Committee received the referral and scheduled a hearing for October 13, 2026, where it will consider whether to uphold or overturn the Commission's approvals.

Activity (3)

  • 2026-09-18 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on October 13, 2026.
  • 2026-08-14 Los Angeles City Planning Commission document(s) referred to Planning and Land Use Management Committee.
  • 2026-08-14 Document submitted by Los Angeles City Planning Commission, dated August 4, 2026.

Documents (13)

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