Los Angeles County supervisors have approved a five-story, 60-unit apartment complex at 7914 Broadway Avenue in unincorporated West Whittier, clearing the way for a project that will replace an existing single-family home with one of the denser residential buildings in the area. The building will sit just north of Washington Boulevard, according to the seed facts detailing the site's location.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the project, according to Urbanize Los Angeles. The board's September agenda lists the meeting, according to the Board of Supervisors' September agenda.
To make way for the five-story building, the county approved a required zone change. The county also rezoned the property from R-1 single-family to R-3 limited-density multiple residence, according to the board's approved regulatory findings. The rezoning changes the lot's zoning to allow stacked, multifamily housing.
Density-Bonus Incentives Supported the Design
The project also relied on density-bonus incentives associated with its affordable-housing set-aside.
Under those density-bonus terms, seven of the 60 apartments will be deed-restricted for very low-income residents, per the seed facts describing the project's density bonus terms. The building is designed as a contemporary podium-type structure with a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans, along with parking in an adjoining surface lot, according to the same source. Design Plus Services is designing the development, per the seed facts.
The 0.85-acre project site spans two parcels that currently hold a single-family home alongside an adjacent vacant lot, according to LA YIMBY. County application filings list Torrance-based property owner Marisela Garcia as the official applicant behind the 60-unit proposal, the outlet reports.
Transit Promise Still Years Away
The project is near a planned E Line light rail stop near Washington and Norwalk boulevards, an extension that would run from East Los Angeles. But LA Metro's June 2026 Environmental Assessment prioritized building an initial 4.7-mile segment east to Montebello first, pushing the fuller extension into West Whittier into a later project phase, as Hoodline previously reported. That means the light rail access touted alongside the Broadway Avenue development remains a long-term prospect rather than something residents can count on soon.
The Broadway Avenue building would add new housing along the corridor.
Why County Supervisors, Not a City Council, Called the Shot
West Whittier-Los Nietos is an unincorporated community, meaning it has no city council of its own. Land-use approvals like this one fall instead to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and specifically to Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district covers the area, according to a county annual report.
The community absorbing the new units is substantial: West Whittier-Los Nietos has 25,583 residents across 2.60 square miles, according to a county annual report. The report provides population and area figures as well as community investment and grant-related details, including $213,207 in rent relief grants, $242,540 in economic opportunity aid, and descriptions of public facilities and services.
