Luigi Schiappa Development Plans Townhome Project in Harbor Gateway

• Luigi Schiappa Development filed plans for a nine-unit townhome project in Harbor Gateway.
• The development would rise on an empty lot at 16215 Bonsallo Ave. near the 110 Freeway.
• The proposal adds to a growing wave of small-lot and affordable housing projects moving through Harbor Gateway.

What the Harbor Gateway Proposal Includes

A small vacant site in Harbor Gateway could soon become home to a new townhome development as Luigi Schiappa Development moves forward with plans at 16215 Bonsallo Ave. The proposal calls for nine two-story townhomes arranged around a shared internal driveway. Plans include a mix of two- and three-bedroom layouts, with each residence featuring its own ground-level garage. Although the property carries a Bonsallo Avenue address, the site itself sits within the middle of a residential block and would connect to the street through a dedicated driveway access point. Dir Design is serving as the architect for the project.

What This Says About Los Angeles Housing Strategy

The proposal reflects Los Angeles’ increasing push toward infill housing development on smaller underutilized parcels throughout the city. Part of the property has reportedly been identified as surplus land by the City of Los Angeles. Last year, the city launched its “Small Lots, Big Impacts” initiative, encouraging private developers to build housing on small city-owned sites as officials work to accelerate residential production. Smaller townhome projects like this have become increasingly common across Los Angeles because they can add housing density while fitting more naturally into lower-scale residential neighborhoods.

What Other Developments Are Rising Nearby

Harbor Gateway has recently seen a growing number of multifamily and affordable housing proposals as developers target areas with available land and easier entitlement opportunities. Last year, HVN Development proposed a 52-unit affordable housing project nearby at 1300 West 218th Street. That development would include apartments for low- and moderate-income renters while utilizing city housing incentives tied to affordable construction. Other townhome projects are also moving through the neighborhood, including a 22-unit proposal from Nerja Investments along South Vermont Avenue.

What This Means for Harbor Gateway Growth

Los Angeles remains under pressure from the state to plan for more than 456,000 new housing units by 2029, pushing city officials to support projects across a wide range of neighborhood types and development scales. Harbor Gateway has increasingly emerged as a target area because of its freeway access, lower land costs, and availability of underutilized sites compared to more built-out sections of Los Angeles. For developers, small-lot housing projects also provide a more flexible way to add density without requiring large-scale high-rise construction.

What the Industry Will Watch Next

The townhome proposal still needs to move through the city approval process before construction can begin. As Los Angeles continues searching for ways to meet aggressive housing production goals, projects like this are expected to become more common across neighborhoods where smaller infill parcels remain available for redevelopment.