Abbott Kinney retail spaces still unleased

We're still waiting to see what kind of tenants will occupy the ground level storefronts in this newly constructed retail building at the corner of Venice Blvd. and Abbott Kinney. Rumors of a Starbucks anchoring the desirable corner unit have come and gone. We hear that the asking price has dropped to a more 'reasonable' $6/sq. ft, so there might finally be some activity in this large building at a highly sought after location.

Neighborhood Council committee to discuss fence height rules for Venice

The VNC Fences and Hedges Ad Hoc Committee is scheduled to meet this Wednesday July 16 at 7pm, at Oakwood Rec. Center, at the corner of 7th and California. All Venice stakeholders are welcome and participation is encouraged.

The legal height limit for frontyard fences and hedges is 42". This is ignored by many, and enforcement is spotty at best. What changes, if any, should the council make? This committee has been mandated to listen to the residents and come up with a set of recommendations.

Whole Foods Megastore to Open Soon

Watch out Ralph's.......here it comes. Slated to open its doors on August 27th, the new Whole Foods at Rose and Lincoln will allow WestofLincoln residents to do all their grocery shopping without having to step across Lincoln Boulevard. This new business will surely change the character of the Rose and Lincoln shopping center.

While some residents may approve of the availability of high quality food shopping, others will surely miss the Big Lots store, and the loss of another affordable business in the area. Lets hope that future retail developments on this stretch of Lincoln are sensitive to the needs of this community.

New concept: Loft living in artsy Venice

UPDATE AUGUST 1:
These units are currently listed on the MLS ranging in price from $1.375m to $1.499m. The website gives an brief description of the zoning that allowed them to build 3 'residences' on a small single residential lot. Here is the website:
http://www.venicelofthomes.com/index.html

We're curious to see if the current housing market can support this kind of residence at this price. Are there any other examples of this out there, in the Venice/Ocean Park area?




And we thought that there was a glut of these on the westside! Obviously, the developers know more than we at WestofLincoln do. Get out your checkbooks for they are now 'taking reservations' for these spanking new construction of 3 townhome-style units just south of Venice Blvd. on Oakwood Ave.

While (arguably)interesting architecturally, it's questionable as to whether this project really fits into this low density single family home neighborhood. What is the zoning for this block, anyway?

New Venice spec houses to hit the market in August

Anyone ready to buy in prime Venice walk streets?

A few new lotfillers are due to hit the market in the next few weeks. These have been under construction since last summer before the bubble started to deflate. Anyone's guess as to what they'll ask for these nicely done but excessively large spec homes. Teardowns on these 3300 sq. ft lots in the Milwood section of Venice were selling for $1.1 plus in summer '07; so the builders will need to list the properties way north of $2m to walk away with a decent profit.