A 100% affordable, 200-unit apartment building proposed for a site at the border of North Hollywood and Van Nuys. The developer submitted an application in Spring 2023 using Mayor Karen Bass's Executive Directive 1 (ED1), her signature program to eliminate hearings, appeals, and environmental reviews for 100% affordable developments, cutting approval timelines to approximately 60 days. The project combined ED1 with California's State Density Bonus Law to propose housing on a site zoned for single-family homes but designated in the General Plan for multifamily development. Six months after signing ED1, Bass revised the directive in June 2023 to ban its use on properties in single-family zones — retroactively jeopardizing this application and approximately 9 similar projects already in the pipeline across the San Fernando Valley totaling ~2,400 units. On September 14, 2023, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) wrote a formal letter to the PLUM Committee urging the city to approve the project under the rules in effect when the preliminary application was submitted, warning that blocking it could violate state housing law. PLUM denied the appeal anyway. The project appears to be among the approximately 6 of 10 San Fernando Valley ED1 projects that were abandoned. By February 2025, the LA Times reported that only 4 projects totaling ~800 units were moving forward — and only after court orders — while the majority had been abandoned with none having broken ground.
| Date | Event | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| December 16, 2022 | Mayor Bass Signs Executive Directive 1 | On her fourth day in office, Mayor Karen Bass signs Executive Directive 1 (ED1), eliminating hearings, appeals, and environmental reviews for 100% affordable housing projects. The program promises approvals within ~60 days. The original order says nothing about single-family zones, leaving their eligibility ambiguous. Developers begin scouting eligible sites including the San Fernando Valley. LAist: https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/los-angeles-affordable-housing-ed1-karen-bass-mayor-yimby-law-lawsuit-winnetka |
| March 1, 2023 | Developer Submits ED1 Preliminary Application | The developer files a preliminary application for a 100% affordable 200-unit apartment building at 5501-5511 N. Ethel Avenue under Executive Directive 1, combining ED1 with the California State Density Bonus Law. The site is zoned for single-family homes but designated in the General Plan for multifamily development. Under the Housing Accountability Act and Permit Streamlining Act, submitting a complete preliminary application vests the applicant to the rules in effect at time of submission. LA City Clerk PLUM Report: https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2023/23-0835_misc_2_09-14-2023.pdf |
| April 20, 2023 | City Issues Housing Referral to Developer | The City of Los Angeles issues an "Affordable Housing Referral" to the developer at 5501 Ethel — a step in processing the ED1 application, confirming initial acknowledgment of the application. LA City Clerk PLUM Report: https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2023/23-0835_misc_2_09-14-2023.pdf |
| June 12, 2023 | Mayor Bass Revises ED1 — Retroactively Excludes Single-Family Zones | Mayor Bass issues a revised "Clarified ED1" explicitly prohibiting ED1 ministerial processing for projects on sites in single-family zones. The revision follows backlash from homeowner groups in the San Fernando Valley. The June 12 revision retroactively applies to projects already in the pipeline — jeopardizing this application and approximately 9 similar projects totaling ~2,400 units across the San Fernando Valley. LAist: https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/los-angeles-affordable-housing-ed1-karen-bass-mayor-yimby-law-lawsuit-winnetka |
| June 22, 2023 | City Issues "Hold Letter" — Application Put on Ice | City Planning issues a "Status of Project Review Letter (Hold Letter)" putting the 5501 Ethel application on hold pending determination of eligibility under the revised ED1. LA City Clerk PLUM Report: https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2023/23-0835_misc_2_09-14-2023.pdf |
| September 14, 2023 | California HCD Writes to PLUM: Approve This Project | The California Department of Housing and Community Development writes a formal Technical Assistance Letter to the PLUM Committee specifically about the 5501-5511 N. Ethel Avenue project. HCD argues the developer has vested rights under the Housing Accountability Act and Permit Streamlining Act, and urges the city "to expeditiously process all ED1 projects in accordance with the rules and regulations that were in effect at the time the preliminary applications were complete." HCD warns that denying projects under retroactively applied rules could violate state housing law. HCD Technical Assistance Letter: https://www.hcd.ca.gov/sites/default/files/docs/planning-and-community/HAU/los-angeles-ta-prelimapp-091423.pdf |
| September 19, 2023 | PLUM Committee Denies Appeal | The City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee hears and denies the appeal of the city's determination that the 5501-5511 N. Ethel Avenue project is ineligible for ED1 processing. Despite HCD's letter the previous day, the committee sides with the city's position that the revised ED1 applies retroactively. This is the effective end of the project's pathway forward. LA City Clerk PLUM Report: https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2023/23-0835_misc_2_09-14-2023.pdf |
| January 10, 2024 | YIMBY Law Sues on Similar Project — Not This One | YIMBY Law files suit against the City of Los Angeles over the Winnetka Boulevard project (360 units, Canoga Park/Winnetka) — a similar ED1 project in a single-family zone. YIMBY Law does not file suit on behalf of the 5501 Ethel Avenue project. For developers of projects lacking legal resources, the city's denial is effectively final. Some developers "have already given up on pushing the issue." LAist: https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/los-angeles-affordable-housing-ed1-karen-bass-mayor-yimby-law-lawsuit-winnetka |
| September 26, 2024 | Court Rules City Violated State Law — But on a Different Project | Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant rules that the City violated state law by retroactively denying the Winnetka Boulevard project's ED1 eligibility — the same legal issue as the 5501 Ethel project. "The city's attempt to require the project to comply with policies not in effect when the preliminary application was submitted is a violation of the Housing Accountability Act." The ruling vindicates the legal position HCD had taken a year earlier. However it does not automatically revive the 5501 Ethel project, which had no legal representation. LAist: https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/los-angeles-affordable-housing-ed1-winnetka-yimby-law-ruling-mayor-bass-blumenfield |
| February 20, 2025 | LA Times Reports: Majority of SFV ED1 Projects Abandoned | The Los Angeles Times reports that 18 months after the ED1 projects were proposed, the majority of the 10 San Fernando Valley single-family zone projects have been abandoned. Only 4 projects (~800 units) are moving forward, and only after intensive court battles. "None have broken ground." The Ethel Avenue project is not among the 4 named survivors, consistent with abandonment. LA Times via Yahoo News: https://www.yahoo.com/news/affordable-housing-san-fernando-valley-110056647.html |
Rating 2 of 5. Two sources; some dates or figures remain unconfirmed. Corrections: https://whokilledthebuilding.com/corrections.