At Wednesday’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, Item 6 will consider a resolution that presents Lot 701 in Venice as a potential site for affordable housing. The motion is misleading because it does not acknowledge the multiple approvals already granted for the Venice Dell Community on Lot 731, a project on track to deliver 120 deeply affordable units. This omission is not accidental. It is part of Councilmember Traci Park’s ongoing effort to derail Venice Dell by pointing to an “alternative” site as if it were a substitute.

The authority for deciding the use of city property lies with the City Council, which has already approved Venice Dell multiple times. The Board of Transportation Commissioners, cited in Park’s motion, does not have the power to overturn those votes. The City is already in a Council-approved contract with the developers, who remain committed to Lot 731. In a moment when Los Angeles faces both a budget crisis and a housing crisis, walking away from those commitments would be reckless. The funding to build on Lot 731 is already allocated, while breaching the contract would require millions from the City’s general fund, further worsening the budget shortfall.

In fact, Venice Dell has recently secured unprecedented momentum. Over the last two months, the project has been awarded nearly forty five million dollars in state and county support, including a coveted grant from California’s Multifamily Housing Program super NOFA. That award demonstrates the state’s recognition that the project has site control, and it sets Venice Dell up to secure low income housing tax credits next year. With those credits, the project will be fully funded. Coupled with Affordable Housing Trust Fund allocations, Venice Dell has become one of the most shovel-ready affordable housing developments in Los Angeles. It is also structured with a Project Labor Agreement, ensuring hundreds of good union jobs alongside the new homes. The idea that the City Council would now walk away from a project with this level of public investment defies logic.

Abandoning Lot 731 would not only squander these funds and jobs but also expose the city to serious legal and policy risks. There are multiple lawsuits tied to Lot 731 that cannot be ignored. Undoing the project at this stage would violate the Housing Accountability Act and fair housing laws, while also disregarding past Council approvals. If Park’s motion proceeds with language that includes Lot 731, any report back must account for the consequences of walking away from a fully approved and funded development.

The City should certainly explore Lot 701. More affordable housing on any available site in Venice is welcome, and transit amenities at that location could serve the community well. But exploration of Lot 701 must be additive. It cannot be used as an excuse to halt Venice Dell. Suggesting Lot 701 as a replacement for Lot 731 is a red herring. Venice Dell is poised to break ground as soon as next year, and Los Angeles cannot afford to change course on affordable housing, especially on city land that has already been designated and entitled for that purpose.

The choice before the Housing and Homelessness Committee is clear. Move forward with Venice Dell, honor the city’s contracts and commitments, and allow this shovel-ready project to finally begin construction. At the same time, explore the feasibility of additional housing on Lot 701. What the city cannot do is continue moving the goalposts or let political maneuvers undermine the delivery of desperately needed homes.