Five-story housing complex planned for former Grinder restaurant in Westchester

A new housing complex may soon rise from the site of a former Grinder Restaurant in Westchester that closed nearly five years ago.

Plans filed with the city Monday call for a five-story mixed use development on the site that would include 86 units of housing and 999 square feet of commercial space. Of those 86 units, eight would be set aside for very low-income tenants (those making under half the area median income).

This is not the first project proposed at the former diner, located at 8521 South Sepulveda Boulevard. As the Daily Breeze reported in 2015, real estate investor TradeCor, LLC planned to convert the building into a Chick-fil-A, but the project faced stiff resistance from City Councilmember Mike Bonin, who opposed its conversion to a fast food establishment.

Property records show the building sold around the end of 2015 for just over $3.5 million. Now, developer Caladan Investments, LLC, which recently completed construction on a North Hollywood apartment complex, plans to redevelop the parcel as housing.

In exchange for the affordable units, the developer is requesting incentives from the city allowing a taller building height and slightly less open space on the project site.

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