A proposed apartment building just north of Sherman Way is coming back with more homes and less building. The Canoga Park project at 7220 N. Owensmouth Avenue has been reworked into a six-story, fully income-restricted development with 120 apartments, nearly double the 70 units in an earlier version. The do-over also trims the building’s footprint for cars, cutting parking to 41 spaces instead of the previously planned two-level, 92-space garage. Because every unit would be income-restricted, the project can line up for the city’s expedited affordable-housing review process.
What the revised plan proposes
According to The Real Deal, project applicant Matt Towfighian of Warner Mega Properties has filed updated plans with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning for a six-story, 120-unit building at 7220 N. Owensmouth. The outlet reports the mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments carries over from the earlier design, while the parking supply drops to 41 spaces under the new layout. The Real Deal notes the developer is pursuing the project as 100 percent income-restricted, making it eligible for the city’s fast-track treatment for affordable housing.
Who’s behind the filing
Urbanize LA reports that city records list Matt Towfighian of Warner Mega Properties as the applicant and KSK Design as the architect of record. A staff page for 101 Family Medical Group in West Hills also lists a Matt Towfighian, an address that appears in public business and planning records associated with the developer. Those records are the public contact details attached to the city’s planning file for the Owensmouth project.
Why ED1 matters for the timeline
The plan’s fully affordable setup positions it to use Executive Directive 1, the mayoral order that speeds approvals and permits for income-restricted housing. The Los Angeles Department of City Planning’s ED1 overview explains that qualifying projects can bypass many discretionary hearings and move through entitlement and permitting on a much faster track than conventional developments. That streamlined route has been credited with helping push forward thousands of affordable units across Los Angeles, even as preservation advocates and tenant groups question how broadly the policy should be applied.
Where this fits in the Valley
The Owensmouth proposal lands in a part of the West Valley that is already seeing a steady drip of new affordable projects. Just two blocks to the south, an 80-unit Bell Creek complex at 6940 N. Owensmouth recently opened, according to Urbanize LA. The latest Owensmouth plan leans hard into a less-car, more-units approach, with the updated filing cutting parking to 41 spaces where an earlier version called for a two-level, 92-space garage, a detail reported by The Real Deal. The site sits just north of Warner Center, a corridor in the middle of its own transformation as larger projects and office-to-residential conversions roll out.
What neighbors and officials will likely watch
For nearby residents and elected officials, the sharp cut in parking is almost certain to get attention, along with potential traffic changes and the loss of the existing commercial use on the property. Executive Directive 1 has already stirred citywide debate, with tenant advocates and preservation groups pressing for limits on where the fast-track tool can be used, the Los Angeles Times reported. How City Hall weighs the urgency of adding deeply affordable homes against neighborhood concerns will help determine whether this particular Canoga Park project glides through under ED1 or faces a more contentious path.
Next steps
The proposal is now logged in the Los Angeles Department of City Planning’s case system and can move through the ED1 process if it satisfies the agency’s technical criteria. Residents, nearby businesses and other stakeholders can monitor its progress through the city’s online planning portal by searching for the project’s case entry in the department’s database.
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