12117 Valleyheart Dr. apartments

The site (11,500 SF) is on Valleyheart Dr., a street which follows the contours of the Los Angeles River in the San Fernando Valley. The site, just beside the river, is just off Laurel Canyon Blvd. and is visible from, and directly on axis with, the farmer's market that is held weekly on Ventura Place. The 2 combined parcels that form the site have a curved front property line, and the front elevation of the building steps toward and follows that curve. 

The project was entitled by-right and used no state or local residential development incentive programs. 

The building is 4 light wood-framed residential stories on top of 1 on-grade Type 1A noncombustible parking level on top of 1 subterranean parking level. The units are all arranged around, and accessible from, an inner open courtyard lined with thin vertical steel picket guardrails mounted on the edge face of the floors. The inner courtyard opens to the street and rear, allowing pedestrian views in. Two main stair cores (both open to the air) and one elevator serve the building; one at and defining the front, and one at the rear of the building. There is 1,900 SF of roof-deck space on the top level and a 600 SF recreation room at the grade-level parking story. Each studio and 1-bedroom unit has 1 bath, and the 2-bedroom units have 2 baths. 

The exterior of the building is a combination of smooth white cement plaster and grey horizontal shiplap hardie board paneling that frames secondary building volumes, exposed concrete, and, at the front, glossy green-painted smooth stucco.