Venice Dell Affordable Housing Project Faces Ongoing Opposition from LA City Council| By: Elizabeth Ahern
During a City Council meeting on Wednesday, January 28th, the Los Angeles City Attorney was authorized to increase funding by $650,000 through March 2026 to continue litigation against the Venice Dell affordable housing project. This brings the city’s total spending on litigation to oppose the project to over $1 million.
The Venice Dell affordable housing project intends to provide 120 units of affordable housing, including 68 supportive apartments for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and 49 affordable apartments for low-income households, in addition to supportive services and a parking structure to replace the spaces in the existing lot. The designer, Brooks and Scarpa, modified the plan over several years so as to maintain beach access, preserve a public boat launch and ascertain adequate parking.
The project was approved by the City Council in 2021, with Venice Community Housing (VCH) and Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (HCHC) as co-developers. It cleared environmental review under state supportive-housing provisions, and in December 2024 received unanimous certification from the California Coastal Commission and a one-year extension in June 2025. Following this certification, $42.5 million in conditional state funding and $3 million in LA County funding was allocated to fund the project.
Despite the project’s approval in 2021, political opposition and administrative delays have prevented its execution. Among those who oppose the development is Councilmember Traci Park, who has made efforts to stall the project in favor of other uses for the land. Park has claimed that the initial project was problematic, noting concerns with coastal access, parking loss and overall cost. An October 3, 2025 HCD letter noted the City’s “significant delay and effective denial” despite approval and state funding.
In a Board Report to the city’s Board of Transportation Commissioners, Laura Rubio-Cornejo (LADOT’s General Manager), suggested that the Board deny the use of Venice’s Lot #731 for the affordable housing project and instead use it to develop a transit hub. In October 2025, the City Council voted to look into transforming the selected lot- Lot #731- into a transit hub, moving the housing project to another nearby lot. According to this plan, Lot #731 would incorporate electric vehicle charging stations, bike and micro-mobility infrastructure and community shuttles, while housing would be determined for Lot #701 (which is currently zoned for open space).
Developers and housing advocates claim the state funding allocated toward the project is specifically for Lot #731, unable to be transferred. They also assert that the California Coastal Commission approved the project in December 2024 after years of review and legal obstacles. The Board of Transportation Commission is set to have a hearing trial on February 26, 2026 to settle a claim of abuse of discretion
Venice Community Housing (VCH) and Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (HCHC), both 501(c)(3) non-profit developers, continue to fight for the project’s implementation, claiming the ongoing legal opposition puts the two organizations in jeopardy and will have City-wide implications. By actively opposing the Venice Dell project, the city jeopardizes state funding and risks facing penalties. Such holds also threaten the hard work of nonprofit developers like VCH and HCHC, who have made dedicated efforts to provide affordable housing and supportive services throughout Los Angeles.
According to their official website, “VCH has worked to invest in permanently affordable housing, support health and housing-based solutions for unhoused people, promote youth development and education and create strategic partnerships focused on equity and inclusion.” They also emphasize the importance of getting to the root cause of housing injustice, effectively challenging racism to build communities that have equitable access to safe and healthy homes.
“Unfortunately we’re in this place where the city is fighting…we would prefer to have everybody come with reasoned heads to come to some kind of agreement,” said the Co-Executive Director of VCH Allison Riley. “Using underutilized land for affordable housing as a way to keep costs down is important.”
The Venice Dell project began in 2016 as the city searched for public land to transform into affordable housing. Lot #731, located west of Abbot Kinney Boulevard, was eventually selected as the development site. The 2.65-acre, city-owned parking lot currently offers about 200 public parking spaces, producing an annual $1 million in revenue.
Although former City Councilmember Mike Bonin- who represented District 11- supported the Venice Dell project, the city’s stance on the project shifted in December of 2022 when Traci Park was elected in his place. According to an article by LAist, Park sent a letter to former L.A. City Council member Joe Buscaino during her campaign stating the project would do little to combat homelessness. Park also claimed in forums that she would “squash this on day one.”
The same year Park joined the City Council, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto and Mayor Karen Bass were welcomed into office as well. Like Park, Feldstein Soto also opposed the project while campaigning, suggesting the City Council not make commitments on account of Bonin. According to a 2023 article by the Los Angeles Times, Feldstein Soto claimed the project was an “overly expensive pet project of outgoing Councilmember Mike Bonin” in a May 2022 letter to the City Council.
After the three entered office, developers claimed they were attempting to deter the project by blocking its negotiations to the agreement to rebuild public parking, funding, and approval from a coastal commission. In July of 2024, the law firm Public Counsel sued the city on behalf of the advocacy group L.A. Forward and three Venice residents, claiming Park, Feldstein Soto and Bass’ alleged actions resulted in a denial that undermined just housing laws. According to the LAist article mentioned above, “the lawsuit claims Park and Feldstein Soto are discriminating against people of color and people with disabilities in violation of fair housing laws and equal protection under the state Constitution. It also claims that halting work on the project has a disproportionate impact on people of color’s ability to access housing.” The City has since denied these allegations in court, and the case remains pending as of February 2026. A trial is set to take place this summer to settle the case.
“There’s this expectation that you’re working toward the same goal, and if that can change just because of a change in council member there’ll be way fewer developers willing to take that risk and build the housing we desperately need,” said Riley.