A five-story apartment building with 77 units and no automobile parking is proposed for the corner of Kester Avenue and Addison Street in Sherman Oaks. Filed with Los Angeles City Planning on October 20, the proposal would replace a small collection of existing homes with affordable housing.
Six existing homes would make way for 77 apartments
The applicant’s project narrative describes a two-parcel site of approximately 12,532 square feet, or 0.288 acres, with roughly 90 feet of frontage on Kester Avenue. The document identifies the property as 5003–5009½ Kester Avenue and 14913 Addison Street.
According to that narrative, the property contains a four-unit multifamily building, a single-family home and a detached accessory dwelling unit. All would be demolished for the new development. Based on those figures, the proposal would produce a net increase of 71 homes if built as described.
The submitted architectural plans identify the project as Kester 77, list Stockton Architects as the architect and name 5003 Kester LLC as the client. The City’s case record lists Thomas Beadel of HVN Holdings as the applicant and Dana A. Sayles of Three6ixty as the representative.
Proposed building
Marketed for redevelopment before the sale
The 2026 listing for 5003 Kester Avenue described the corner property as a development opportunity being sold for land value. It identified a tenant-occupied three-bedroom, one-bath unit of 1,184 square feet and a separate one-bedroom, one-bath unit of 440 square feet with fire damage. Those descriptions reflect the property when marketed, rather than a new inspection.
Redfin lists a 1948 construction year and a 6,232-square-foot lot for this parcel. That parcel is only part of the approximately 12,532-square-foot site in the development application.
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Location and street views
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A Nehorayan family property changes hands
The property was built and developed by Herbert A. Blank, according to the certificate of occupancy and permit records.
Before the development filing, 5003 Kester Avenue was owned by Marc and Lisa Nehorayan. A property transaction history lists them as the sellers to 5003 Kester LLC for $1.05 million, with a sale date of June 29, 2026 and a recording date of July 2. That buyer’s name also appears as the client on the Kester 77 architectural plans.
Marc Lee Nehorayan is a physician specializing in psychiatry in Van Nuys, according to the American Medical Association’s physician directory.
According to permit records, Saul S. Nehorayan of Encino and his wife, Adrienne, were the last buyers before the later family transfers. The Redfin sale history for 5003 Kester Avenue records an August 15, 1969 sale for $28,000. The ownership history shows transfers involving the couple before the property passed to Marc and Lisa.
Redfin reports the recent sale as July 2, 2026, matching the recording date shown in the transaction history. The $1.05 million figure applies to the 5003 Kester property record; it should not be treated as the verified acquisition price for the entire two-parcel development site.
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Affordable housing with a manager’s-unit exception
The City describes the proposal as a 100% affordable development. The applicant’s narrative provides the breakdown: 60 apartments for low-income households, 16 for moderate-income households and one manager’s apartment at market rate. All 77 apartments are described as one-bedroom units.
The proposed building would contain approximately 41,000 square feet of residential floor area. The narrative describes a landscaped roof deck of approximately 2,798 square feet and a rear yard at the first story. It also proposes 40 long-term bicycle parking spaces and six short-term spaces.
No automobile parking proposed
The project requests approval through the Affordable Housing Incentive Program, using Expanded Administrative Review. Its request includes no on-site automobile parking, along with additional height and density incentives.
The applicant also seeks reductions in yard setbacks, required open space and long-term bicycle parking, an increase in permitted floor area, and a waiver allowing a zero-foot southerly side yard along Addison Street. These are requests in the application; they should not be read as approved development standards for the site.
More HVN and Stockton projects across the Valley
Kester 77 adds another proposal to the HVN and Stockton Architects projects previously covered on the blog. Those stories document projects at different stages, from new applications to construction:
- 10953 Whipple Street, Toluca Lake: 91 apartments. September coverage reported that framing had reached the top floor of this five-story HVN Development building designed by Stockton Architects. The project includes 90 income-restricted apartments and one manager’s unit, with no on-site vehicle parking.
- 5922–5928 Lemp Avenue, North Hollywood: 81 apartments. The August post described a five-story affordable housing proposal associated with HVN Development, with plans by Stockton Architects and no on-site automobile parking.
- 12025 W. Hoffman Street, Studio City: 78 apartments. July coverage examined an HVN Development proposal designed by Stockton Architects near the Los Angeles River and Radford Studio Center, planned for low- and moderate-income residents.
The common thread is affordable infill housing in five-story buildings. The construction milestone reported at Whipple is distinct from the newly filed Kester application; the earlier articles provide background rather than a fresh status update on each project.
A new filing, with no decision posted
As of October 20, the City Planning case record shows the Kester application filed and assigned that day. The accepted-for-review field and hearing date are listed as “N/A,” and no approved documents are posted.
The next milestone to watch is a posted City determination and any revisions to the submitted proposal. The filing establishes what the applicant wants to build; it does not establish a construction start date.
Browse more local housing and redevelopment coverage on the Development & Architecture page.
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