Developer Bardas Investment Group has filed plans for a roughly 68,000-square-foot, five-story creative office project at the northwest corner of Melrose Avenue and Seward Street in Hollywood, according to newly uploaded planning documents with the city of Los Angeles.
Named Melrose + Seward, the project would rise about 69 feet, replacing a one-story commercial building at 6101 Melrose Avenue. It would be constructed alongside two existing two-story creative office buildings up the street at 729 and 735 Seward Street, making for a development project of up to 85,000 square feet, plans show.
“The Project would construct approximately 67,889 square feet of new, creative office space, retail uses, and open space, as part of a forward-thinking commercial development intended to expand on the creative uses along the Seward Street production corridor,” the development team writes in application materials.
Bardas Investment Group founder David Simon presented the company’s plans for the site to the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee in late February. Committee Chair Philip Farha requested Simon and other project representatives return for another presentation, according to meeting minutes.
Bardas Investment Group didn’t respond to a request for comment on its project from What Now Los Angeles.
Plans filed with the city this month call for a slightly shorter structure than was presented in February – 69 feet rather than 74 feet – with 168 parking spaces in two underground levels and one at-grade level. Vehicular access would be offered mid-block on Seward Street.
The developer is requesting a zoning and height variances for the project from the city.
“In addition to parking, the first floor of the new proposed building would contain office spaces, commercial-retail use spaces, a pocket courtyard fronting Seward Street, and a pocket patio fronting Melrose Avenue,” the development team writes.
“The second through fifth floors would maintain a mix office spaces and open spaces, the latter of which would be provided in various decks located on each floor and would maintain a variety of landscaping features.”
Plans call for 67,242 square feet of office space, 647 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and 11,325 square feet of open space.
Based in West Hollywood, Bardas describes itself as a boutique investment and development firm.
It expects to invest $80 million in the 45,136-square-foot project site and has already secured a lease agreement for the two existing buildings to be retained by the project with a “preeminent global streaming service,” according to a project webpage.
Bardas acquired the project site through a pair of transactions last year totaling roughly $29.6 million, according to Los Angeles County property records.
