Los Angeles Approves 71-Unit Eldercare Project in Woodland Hills

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission has approved developer Akhilesh Jha's proposal to construct an eldercare facility at 5353 North Del Moreno Drive in Woodland Hills. Designed by Surge Group, the project will replace an existing single-family residence with a three-story mixed-use building featuring 71 residential units alongside 1,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The individual residential units will range between 210 and 215 square feet, and the project includes no on-site vehicular parking.

To construct a larger building than base zoning permits, Jha leveraged multiple density bonus incentives and waivers, dedicating eight units for very low-income tenants. The current approval follows an earlier legal dispute over a previously proposed seven-story development on the parcel. Although the site carried single-family zoning, court rulings and subsequent state legislation under AB 2334 affirmed that developers can build to the higher densities authorized by a jurisdiction's underlying general plan designation.

This approval highlights how developers can utilize state density bonus provisions and general plan consistency rules to entitle infill senior housing on parcels with restrictive base zoning.