A developer wants to tear down six existing homes on North Baird Avenue in Reseda and replace them with a six-story building holding 75 apartments, according to newly filed plans. The project at 7034-7046 N. Baird Avenue would include a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, with 12 of them set aside as very low-income affordable housing.
The plans, designed by JZA Architecture, call for an O-shaped structure wrapped around a central courtyard, according to Urbanize LA. The building would also feature a rooftop amenity deck and a semi-subterranean parking garage capable of holding 100 vehicles. Developers requested density bonus incentives, which would allow for a larger structure than current zoning rules otherwise permit.
The site sits near the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Sherman Way, per the same report, placing it within a stretch of the West San Fernando Valley that has become a magnet for multifamily housing proposals. Developer Efi Meirson and JZA Architecture have previously worked on plans for an affordable housing development near the Sepulveda Basin in Lake Balboa, per the outlet's reporting.
A Developer's Growing Footprint Along Baird Avenue
Meirson purchased the Baird Avenue parcel in July 2025 for $875,000, according to The Real Deal. Deed records cited by the outlet show the land originally held four small cottages built in the 1930s. The four rent-controlled cottages, along with other structures on the assembled lots, would need to be replaced under California's Housing Crisis Act of 2019, commonly known as SB 330, which requires developers demolishing rent-controlled housing to provide equivalent deed-restricted units along with tenant relocation benefits and a right of first refusal, according to Los Angeles City Planning. Those state protections were extended through 2030 by a related law, SB 8.
This isn't the developer's only Baird Avenue play. The Real Deal also reports that Meirson and JZA Architecture have submitted plans for a separate six-story, 34-unit residential building at 7112 North Baird Avenue, just down the street. The pair are additionally pursuing a six-story, 100-unit all-affordable apartment building at 15931-15933 West Victory Boulevard in neighboring Van Nuys, directly across from the G Line Busway, which would replace five existing rental units, according to Urbanize LA's earlier coverage.
Why Reseda Has Become a Hot Spot for Infill Housing
Architect Jeff Zbikowski, founder of JZA Architecture, said in 2024 that density-incentivized apartment developments that were once concentrated in South Los Angeles have increasingly pushed into West San Fernando Valley communities like Reseda, per The Real Deal. JZA has designed multiple income-restricted residential projects across the region, including buildings highlighted in Hoodline's coverage of a Mid-City proposal and a separate Playa Vista apartment plan.
The Baird Avenue proposal is not an isolated case in Reseda. Just blocks away, a 290-unit mixed-income project would replace a shuttered Walgreens near Sherman Way, as Hoodline previously reported. Applicant Ariel Namvar requested density bonus incentives in exchange for 44 income-restricted units at that site.
Across the street from the former Walgreens, the historic 1948 Reseda Theatre is being converted into a public market hall with a microcinema. The theatre project is described separately.
Rising Rents and Regional Housing Pressures
Zumper provides rent research for Reseda, according to Zumper. The article does not establish how Reseda compares with Westside neighborhoods.
Density bonus programs like the one sought for the Baird Avenue project are discussed alongside the region's new affordable housing stock. A RentCafe analysis covering 2020 through 2024 found the Los Angeles metropolitan area added roughly 9,400 income-restricted apartments, accounting for about 20.5 percent of all new apartment completions in the region during that span, according to Hoodline's earlier reporting.
The article also discusses permanent housing policy in Council District 3, represented by Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.
