What is proposed at 2315 Marine Avenue in Gardena?

If you are considering property near 2315 Marine Avenue, the immediate answer is that Gardena is reviewing a proposed 152-unit apartment building and a separate automated parking structure on a former hospital site beside Thornburg Park. It is a proposal, not a confirmed construction project.

Status as of 3 Nov 2026: staff recommends approval; the Commission’s decision was not known when this was written.

This is general information and not legal advice.

What is being proposed?

The application proposes a five-story apartment building with 152 units and a separate five-tier automated parking structure. The apartment building would total 110,064 square feet. It would stand 54 feet 8 inches high, with an overall height of about 65 feet at the rooftop elevator shaft.

Every apartment shown on the plans is a 448-square-foot one-bedroom unit. The first floor has 28 units, floors two through four have 35 units each, and the fifth floor has 21. Plans also show two elevators per floor and rooftop decks.

Staff found two extra units in the floor plan. Condition SPR9 would require four one-bedroom units to be combined into two larger units so the final total does not exceed 152.

The formal request covers Site Plan Review number 3-25, Lot Merger number 1-25, and Environmental Assessment number 6-25. West Realty Group is the applicant.

Where would the buildings sit?

The project site consists of three parcels divided by Nader Place, on the north side of Marine Avenue just west of Spinning Avenue. Parcel B, east of Nader Place, is a vacant 1.037-acre lot previously developed with a hospital building. The apartment building would be placed there.

Parcel A is west of Nader Place. Its two parcels total 0.463 acres, or 20,168 square feet, and formerly served as the hospital’s surface parking lot. The automated parking structure and six surface spaces would be located on this side.

Thornburg Park and a single-family residence zoned R-1 are to the north. The former Nader’s Furniture property is to the east. Residential and commercial properties are to the south, while a commercial center and a single-family residence are to the west.

The conditions call for additional 10-foot-tall landscape screening along the western property line and screening plants beside an 8-foot wall. The wall must have a graffiti-resistant coating, and its color must be approved by Public Works since part of the wall is visible from Thornburg Park.

How does the proposal reach 152 units?

The proposal reaches 152 units through the State Density Bonus Law and commitments covering 24 income-restricted apartments. Housing Overlay 5 allows a base density of 50 units per acre, resulting in a maximum base density of 76 units on this site.

The applicant proposes 12 units for very low-income households and 12 for moderate-income households. Staff says that commitment qualifies the project for a density bonus allowing 152 units. The remaining 128 units would be market-rate.

Condition SPR5 requires an Affordable Housing Agreement guaranteeing the 24 restricted units for a 55-year period. The city’s 2021 to 2029 housing element had listed the site for 16 lower-income units, 6 moderate-income units, and 12 above-moderate-income units. This proposal has 12 lower-income units, fewer than the housing element assumption, but more units overall.

The applicant also requested two concessions and three waivers. Staff says the city must grant them unless it can make the findings specified by state law and has substantial evidence supporting denial.

For another California townhome rezoning, see Baldwin Park’s Torch Street rezoning.

How would parking work?

The proposal provides all 154 parking spaces required under the State Density Bonus Law. That calculation uses one space for each one-bedroom apartment, including guest parking. The city’s usual code standard would otherwise require 1.5 spaces for each one-bedroom or two-bedroom unit, plus 0.25 guest space per unit.

Of the proposed spaces, 148 would be inside a mechanical structure no more than 40 feet high. Moveable platforms would lift vehicles, shift them horizontally, or use both movements to stack them across several levels. The structure would be set back about 49 feet from Marine Avenue.

Six surface spaces are also proposed, including four covered accessible spaces. One requested concession would allow all required parking to be placed on Parcel A even though the apartments are on Parcel B.

Condition SPR6 requires a covenant approved by the City Attorney’s Office and recorded against the property title before building permits are issued. It must state that Parcels A and B shall not be sold separately and shall be considered one development in perpetuity. On-site parking spaces may not be rented to anyone who is not named in an active on-site residential lease. The covenant must also prohibit short-term rentals of 31 consecutive days or less.

Staff says the application was complete before Gardena adopted Ordinance number 1892. On that basis, no conditional use permit was required for the mechanical structure, and the structure is not subject to the newly adopted development standards. For other recent Gardena rule changes, see the Gardena ADU ordinance article and the Gardena Boulevard parking fee repeal article.

What site conditions must be addressed?

The site’s soil vapor and groundwater contamination must be assessed and addressed under conditions overseen by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. The staff report identifies significant soil vapor and groundwater contamination, including PCE. It also says the property is next to 2403 Marine Avenue, a site included on the state’s Cortese List.

Condition SPR8 requires a preliminary endangerment assessment. Any release must be removed or mitigated to levels required by current state statutory and regulatory standards before Gardena issues a certificate of occupancy.

Building permits may not be issued until DTSC gives the city clearance or approval for all required plans addressing hazardous substances. Those materials include a Soil Management Plan and a Vapor Intrusion Risk Evaluation. The report does not provide a remediation cost or schedule.

A buyer or owner reviewing nearby property can check the DTSC record, the city’s project file, and any later clearance or approval documents. Those records matter more than assumptions about what the conditions mean in practice.

Why does staff consider a CEQA exemption available?

Staff considers the proposal exempt under Assembly Bill 130 and Public Resources Code 21080.66, effective 1 July 2025. Staff says the project meets every listed requirement and recommends filing a notice of exemption.

What happens after the hearing?

The Commission’s decision would become final unless a timely appeal or City Council review occurs. Staff recommended adoption of Resolution number PC 13-26, approval of the site plan review and lot merger, and direction to file a notice of exemption.

The hearing was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 3 Nov 2026, in the Council Chamber at 1700 W. 162nd Street. The hearing notice was mailed to owners and occupants within 300 feet on 22 Oct 2026. The staff report says the notice also ran in the Gardena Valley News that day.

A written appeal, with the appropriate fee, must be filed with the City Clerk within ten calendar days from adoption. The City Council may also call the matter for review during the same period.

Condition SPR2 requires the lot merger to be completed by certificate of compliance, recorded separately for the land on each side of Nader Place. The property owner must also dedicate a public right-of-way easement for street and sidewalk improvements necessary for the development.

Requested waivers would permit upper-floor massing breaks along Spinning Avenue, Marine Avenue, and Nader Place to be 5 feet 6 inches deep instead of the 10-foot depth otherwise identified by Gardena Municipal Code 18.42.120.

Because the outcome was unavailable when this was written, check item 6.A and later records through the Gardena agenda portal.

We spoke with someone living near 2315 Marine Avenue who had heard that a new project was coming. She wanted to know how many homes would be built and where residents would park, but the proposal had not yet completed every city review. We worked from the submitted plans while making clear that the design and conditions could still change.

The short version

Gardena was considering a 152-unit apartment building and a separate 154-space parking arrangement at 2315 Marine Avenue as of 3 Nov 2026. The parking plan includes 148 spaces in an automated structure and six surface spaces.

The density bonus request depends on 12 very low-income units and 12 moderate-income units protected through a 55-year Affordable Housing Agreement. Conditions also require DTSC oversight and clearance or approval of specified plans before building permits may be issued. No rent, construction start, completion date, or remediation cost appears in the source record.

Staff recommended approval, but the Commission’s decision was not known when this was written. The proposal should not be treated as approved or certain to be built until the public record confirms the outcome and any appeal period.

If you own nearby, you can see what your home is worth with the home value tool.