Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the area, has criticized the project over concerns about parking loss, coastal access and cost. In October 2025, the council directed staff to study relocation
Los Angeles County has awarded $3 million in funding to the Venice Dell affordable housing project, a 120-unit development proposed for a city-owned parking lot near Venice Beach, while the city has spent more than $1 million in legal fees opposing it.
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced the allocation Tuesday as part of nearly $44 million in affordable housing trust fund loans approved for six projects countywide creating 678 units. Three of the projects, including Venice Dell, are in her district.
The Venice Dell project, developed by Venice Community Housing and Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, would provide 120 units for low-income and formerly homeless residents on a 2.65-acre site at Lot 731. The California Department of Housing and Community Development awarded the project $42.5 million in conditional state funding last fall.
The City Council approved the project in 2021 and reaffirmed it in 2022, and the California Coastal Commission granted a coastal development permit in December 2024 after years of review and legal challenges. Despite those approvals, the project has faced ongoing opposition and delays.
The city has spent over $1 million on outside counsel fees related to the project, with recent allocations including $650,000 through March 2026. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto’s office has continued to seek additional funding for litigation, including a $760,000 request in early 2026.
Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the area, has criticized the project over concerns about parking loss, coastal access and cost. In October 2025, the council directed staff to explore converting Lot 731 into a mobility hub while studying relocation to a nearby parcel, Lot 701.
Horvath criticized the city’s legal spending, noting recent allocations including $650,000 for outside counsel fees through March 2026. “The city has now spent over $1 million fighting affordable housing projects,” she said. “While they’re fighting housing, we’re funding it.”
She added that the city’s total outside counsel fees related to such projects exceed $2.5 million. “It is ridiculous to spend taxpayer dollars to oppose a project that has been approved at every level of government, even by the Coastal Commission,” Horvath said. “It is time for the city to get out of its own way and allow Venice Dell to move forward.”
Venice Community Housing has warned that continued opposition risks derailing the project, potentially causing the loss of state funding and penalties for failing to meet state housing goals.
