PLUM approves historic designation for Mellenthine Birdhouse Apartments after public outcry over potential demolition

The Planning and Land Use Management Committee voted unanimously to adopt the Cultural Heritage Commission’s recommendation to list the William Mellentine Birdhouse Apartments (a mid‑century courtyard apartment complex on Buffalo Avenue in Valley Glen) as a Historic Cultural Monument.

The hearing drew lengthy public comment. Tenants and long‑term residents described the property as a rare, intact example of builder‑developer William Mellentine’s mid‑century “birdhouse” motif applied to multifamily housing. Supporters included the Los Angeles Conservancy and the Greater Valley Glen Neighborhood Council; the Cultural Heritage Commission’s staff report recommended designation based on the structure’s architectural characteristics and association with a prolific post‑war builder.

The property owner and project applicant — who has filed an application for a vesting housing project under the state Housing Crisis Act (ED‑1) — urged the committee to reject designation, arguing the nomination did not meet the administrative code’s first threshold of “significance” relative to the builder’s many extant examples. Applicant counsel also argued vesting protections and state law (including vesting under Government Code section 65589.5 as cited by the applicant) make the ED‑1 eligibility and permit timeline unaffected by a later designation. The applicant said the property owner had purchased the site to develop a 103‑unit affordable housing project.

City planning staff explained the timeline: an HCM nomination was filed Sept. 24, 2024; the Cultural Heritage Commission deemed the nomination complete October 17, 2024; the ED‑1 pre‑application was deemed complete Nov. 1, 2024; and the full ED‑1 application was filed Dec. 5, 2024. Planning staff told the committee that because the housing application vested before any final action on the HCM the ED‑1 eligibility for the current housing project is not affected by a later HCM designation. Planning staff summarized that a future development application on the site could be subject to the cultural heritage review if the site were designated and a new application were filed after the current project’s vesting or permit period ended.

Committee action and legal context: The committee approved the HCM designation by unanimous roll call. Planning staff said the designation would not strip the applicant of ED‑1 eligibility for the currently vested application; rather, designation would affect only later projects, including any new application filed after the existing project’s permits lapse. The applicant’s counsel argued the Housing Crisis Act and vesting doctrine bar the nomination from killing a housing project; planning staff and the committee recorded that the two processes can proceed in parallel but the HCM designation does not retroactively nullify a vested housing entitlement.

Vote: Committee recorded a unanimous 5‑0 vote to approve the Cultural Heritage Commission recommendation. The committee’s approval followed extensive public comment from tenants, neighbors and the Los Angeles Conservancy in support of designation.

Sources: Committee meeting transcript; Cultural Heritage Commission staff report; public commenters including tenants, residents, Conservancy representatives, and applicant counsel.