According to the latest recommendation report from South LA’s Department of City Planning, the privately owned developer Ursa Major Holdings, LLC plans on converting its late 1940s property into four subdivisions of small-lot homes. The proposal will be discussed next week at the city’s planning commission meeting. 

The site, which is located in USC’s student housing neighborhood of University Park at Orchard and 27th Street, is currently a one-story duplex. However, per Urbanize, each of the four lots will be split into two dwelling units and will consist of 2,000 square-foot formats featuring three bedrooms, a garage for up to two vehicles, rooftop patio, and communal spaces. There will also be a shared driveway facing Orchard Avenue.

The project’s renderings, which were designed by the Los Angeles-based firm Vanos Architects, portray two white and copper multiple-story structures in the Italianate architectural style. There are also plans in place for landscaping around the residential buildings. 

Since the project is located in a historical preservation neighborhood, regulations for constructing a new building must be compatible with the surrounding buildings. Though there have been two appeals against the project’s design, the planners are hoping the Commission will focus on past approvals. Timeline for the project is still unclear.