Wood framing is now visible at 6728 Sepulveda Boulevard in Van Nuys, where a six-story, 405-unit apartment complex called Uncommon Sepulveda is under construction on what was previously a vacant lot with a paved parking area. The project, developed by Uncommon Developers, will include 41 apartments set aside as deed-restricted affordable housing at the extremely low-income level.
According to Urbanize LA, the building will hold a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, along with parking for 556 vehicles. Designed by Works Progress Architecture, the podium-style structure is described by the firm as two serpentine masses stacked atop one another. Amenities outlined in the same report include a second-floor deck with a swimming pool facing south, a rooftop deck, private balconies for residents, and a three-story open-air breezeway that connects to a north-facing outdoor deck.
How Density Bonuses Reshaped the Project
The 405-unit count is larger than standard zoning would normally allow on the 2.18-acre site, a boost made possible through the city's Transit Oriented Communities program. Los Angeles Department of City Planning case records show the development was approved under Tier 3 TOC incentives, which granted a 70% density bonus, a 50% increase in floor-area ratio, a 22-foot height increase, and a 25% reduction in required open space. Per the department's TOC guidelines, projects within a half-mile of a major transit stop must reserve at least 10% of total units for extremely low-income households to access those maximum incentives — the same threshold reflected in the project's 41 affordable units, which will carry deed restrictions for a 55-year term under city regulations.
The site itself, spanning from 6728 N. Sepulveda Blvd. to 6715 N. Columbus Ave., was vacant land with a surface parking lot on its eastern portion before construction began, according to a June 2023 Sustainable Communities Environmental Assessment from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning. City filings from the same assessment describe a 66-foot-tall building with 32,866 square feet of total open space — including a gym, community rooms, and outdoor decks — plus 194 bike parking spaces and a three-level subterranean garage that required excavating 77,277 cubic yards of dirt.
Neighbors, Council District and a Cleared Legal Hurdle
Los Angeles City Clerk records from February 2024 place the project in Council District 6, represented by Councilmember Imelda Padilla, and note that the site borders a senior care facility to the south and an elementary school to the southeast. Those adjacent uses required specialized temporary construction noise barriers, with environmental approval calling for a 10 dBA noise reduction during heavy earthwork.
The project also cleared a legal challenge before construction could move forward. As reported by The Real Deal, Uncommon Developers defeated a labor-backed environmental appeal filed by Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility in 2024, clearing the final administrative obstacle for the 405-unit complex. The outlet later reported that the project is fully financed through an in-house Qualified Opportunity Zone equity fund created by the developer to pool capital-gains investments, a structure that offers tax deferral incentives for long-term investments in designated census tracts.
A Developer With Roots at MGA Entertainment
Uncommon Developers was co-founded by Ryan Hekmat and Jason Larian, son of MGA Entertainment CEO Isaac Larian, and the firm operates out of MGA's 24-acre corporate campus in Chatsworth. The company's origins trace back to building MGA's own mixed-use headquarters campus before it expanded into infill residential housing across Los Angeles.
The Real Deal reported in January that Uncommon Developers has increasingly pivoted toward larger, denser projects citywide, including proposed 15-story residential towers in Hollywood at 7441 Sunset Blvd and in Beverly Grove. The Van Nuys project stands out on a different scale metric: a Q3 2025 submarket report by Matthews Real Estate Investment Services listed 6728 Sepulveda Blvd. as the single largest multifamily development under construction in Van Nuys, a submarket where asking rents averaged $1,834 per month and vacancy sat at 4.7% at the time of the report.
Photography of the site's progress, showing the building's wood framing rising above the surrounding blocks, was provided by Hunter Kerhart Architectural Photography.
