Across from Santa Monica's Water Garden, a low-rise office complex at 1655 26th Street could be on its way out, replaced by an eight-story apartment building that would significantly boost the neighborhood's housing count.
Developer 1655 Property LLC has filed an application to demolish the existing offices and construct 401 apartments, along with roughly 2,070 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, a rooftop deck, and semi-subterranean parking for about 419 cars. The plans, now under review by city staff, call for 41 of those apartments to be reserved as affordable housing using density-bonus incentives.
Project Documents Outline The Scope
Project plans published by the City of Santa Monica describe 401 apartments stacked above about 2,070 square feet of ground-floor retail, with a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units. The filing also states that 41 apartments would be reserved for moderate-, low-, and very-low-income households in exchange for density-bonus incentives, along with semi-subterranean parking for 419 vehicles. Santa Monica Mirror has recapped the proposal for local readers, keeping score at home.
Design, Parking And Neighborhood Context
AC Martin is listed as the project's architect, sketching out a contemporary podium-style structure that wraps a central courtyard and includes a rooftop deck. The design features a mix of stucco, brick veneer, and metal cladding, with semi-subterranean parking and other resident amenities tucked into the base of the building. The look and layout track with other multifamily projects that have been proposed in the Bergamot/26th Street corridor. Urbanize Los Angeles has published renderings and additional design details from the submission.
Density Bonus And Affordable Units
The application leans on density-bonus incentives that allow qualifying projects to exceed base zoning limits in exchange for on-site affordable housing. The Santa Monica Municipal Code lays out the eligibility rules and possible concessions, and the project packet from the City of Santa Monica indicates that 41 units would be deed-restricted at a mix of income levels.
Next Steps
From here, the proposal moves through Santa Monica's review process. Planning staff will evaluate the application before it is scheduled for public hearings, where neighbors and community groups will be able to weigh in on the project's scale, design, parking, and the usual hot-button issues that surface in local land-use debates.
If approved, the development would add to a cluster of office-to-housing proposals near the Water Garden, including a separate AC Martin-designed plan covered by Urbanize Los Angeles for 330 apartments at 1633 26th Street. The city's packet lists the current review status, and anyone tracking the project will want to keep an eye on the City of Santa Monica planning calendar and local reporting for hearing dates and document updates.
