Last Tuesday a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge yanked one of the biggest legal roadblocks out of the Venice Dell development's path, ordering the city's Board of Transportation Commissioners to undo the vote that had stalled the project. The plan would turn a city-owned parking lot along the Venice canals into roughly 120 affordable apartments, replacement public parking and ground-floor commercial space. Developers and advocates say that if the city does not appeal, construction could start as soon as late next year.
Judge says transportation board overstepped its authority
In a written decision filed May 26, the court found that the Board of Transportation Commissioners did not have the power to deny the transfer of Lot 731 for affordable housing. The judge ordered the commission to vacate its December 2024 denial, according to the Superior Court. The opinion says the Los Angeles Housing Department, not the transportation board, has charge over city property that is intended for affordable housing.
What the plan would build
Developers Venice Community Housing and Hollywood Community Housing pitched Venice Dell as a 100 percent affordable project for Lot 731 at 200 N. Venice Blvd, with units reserved for people experiencing chronic homelessness, community-serving space and a replacement public parking garage. That description appears in a press release from Venice Community Housing. The site has been in the city's pipeline since a 2016 request for proposals and was approved by the City Council in 2022.
Funding and the price tag
The California Department of Housing and Community Development has conditionally awarded $42,455,697 to the project and warned that ongoing city delay could jeopardize that funding and the city's prohousing standing, according to an HCD letter to the city. HCD's correspondence also records the revised project scope as 120 units, including 68 permanent supportive units, 49 low-income units and three manager units, and notes the plan would build an on-site LADOT parking garage to replace public spaces. With that conditional award in hand, HCD asked the city for a written response explaining delays and signaled it could pursue corrective action if the project were effectively denied.
What happens next: timeline and risks
"We hope they stop fighting the project," Allison Riley of Venice Community Housing said. Developers have told reporters that if the city does not appeal, they could break ground late next year and aim for a 2030 completion, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times. The same reporting notes City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto raised concerns in court about a roughly 1 million-per-unit price tag that bundles the housing, commercial space and the replacement garage. The court's order removes one legal obstacle, but the city still faces other lawsuits and political questions that could slow the schedule.
Local politics and reaction
The decision highlights a years-long local fight: opponents and some city officials pushed to relocate or rethink the project, while advocates say stalling has increased costs and harmed people in need of housing. Local coverage frames the order as a rebuke to actions that delayed the development, as reported by Urbanize LA, and Hoodline previously described how the project had been stalled amid lawsuit. Supporters say the ruling should push the city to implement the existing development agreement without further delay.
What to watch now: whether city leaders decide to appeal and how quickly departments carry out the ministerial steps the court described. If the ruling stands and the parties cooperate, Venice could finally see a chunk of promised affordable housing rise along the canals within the coming years.
