Updated plans for a proposed affordable housing development at the former site of Parking Structure 3 were presented recently in a staff report to the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board.
The project, located at 1318 4th Street is being developed by EAH Housing and envisions a six-story building with 122 apartments above street-level commercial space and underground parking for 116 vehicles.
According to an agreement with the city, the apartments will be reserved for households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income. Fifty of the units will be designated as permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
Designed by VTBS Architects, the building will feature cement paneling and aluminum screens. The report describes the design as contemporary, emphasizing natural light, passive ventilation, and a mix of textures and depths along the building’s façade.
The structure will include recessed windows and a checkered panel system, with the ground floor set back to align with the height of the neighboring retail space. Large transparent sections at street level are intended to enhance pedestrian visibility and engagement.
“Buildings along Fourth Street vary in size and scale. The building will be comparable in size with several mixed use and commercial buildings within the block that range from one- to five- stories,” the report says.
Other firms involved in the project include Epstein & Associates, AMJ Construction Management, California Housing Partnership, and The Lynch Group, Inc.
Construction is expected to begin in winter 2027, with completion targeted for 2029. The estimated development cost is $123 million, which could make it the first affordable or supportive housing project in Los Angeles County to exceed $1 million per unit.
The demolition of the 50-year-old parking lot began in March 2022 following a failed legal effort to stop the project. However, since demolition was completed in November 2022, the site has remained empty. A pickleball proposal was selected to activate the vacant lot over five months ago, but the site remains untouched and rent-free, with mounting uncertainty surrounding that project's future.
City officials and Downtown Santa Monica, Inc (DTSM) had confirmed that the new pickleball courts would open by March, but construction has yet to begin, and details about the project remain inconsistent. The effort to bring pickleball to the site began after the collapse of a previous proposal by Haibu Media Group to build an immersive dome experience. Haibu abruptly withdrew in July 2024, prompting the city to issue a new Request for Proposals in September of last year.
Two groups submitted competing bids: CityPickle, a New York-based company with venues in Manhattan and Philadelphia, and a local coalition initially known as Pickle Padel Paw. The latter was a collaboration between owners of three Santa Monica pickleball venues – Pickle Pop on the Promenade, Pickletown on Lincoln Blvd and the Pickleball Center on Wilshire Blvd – and aimed to include four pickleball courts, two padel courts, a beer garden, food vendors and a dog park operated in partnership with Dogdrop, a Los Angeles-based pet care startup.
Despite initially selecting CityPickle, DTSM reversed course in late September and awarded the project to Pickle Padel Paw, now rebranded as Santa Monica Pickleball and Padel, LLC. However, the group soon became embroiled in an internal legal dispute. In January, co-founder Stephanie McCaffrey sued partners from Pickletown, alleging they withdrew promised funding and attempted to interfere with the project. The lawsuit was later dismissed in early March following a mutual agreement to part ways.
In the meantime, project descriptions have changed. The current permit application references “eight paddle sports courts” but omits earlier promises of a dog park or food and beverage outlets.
At a DTSM board meeting on February 27, DTSM CEO Andrew Thomas and Santa Monica Economic Development Manager Jennifer Taylor said the developer had blamed recent wildfires for contractor delays. Still, no work has begun on-site, and the city’s permit portal has shown no updates since December. The project's status is listed as requiring resubmittal.
DTSM’s Martin Ronzio-Garcia said the team is now considering scaling back to focus solely on pickleball, as padel courts require costly plexiglass walls 14 feet high. He added that the dog park element could still be revived in the future.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
