Newish, Mixed-Use, and an Empty Project Homekey Site

5050 West Pico Boulevard, completed in 2021, was supposed to have been a mix of residential and retail units in Mid-Wilshire. It was given TOC entitlements with the understanding that 8 of the 79 units would have been reserved for low income tenants.

Yeah, something else happened instead.

The developer, Gagandeep Lakhmna, is not a local. Most of his dealings have been in the Philadelphia area.

In fact, he’s notorious in Philly for illegally locking out tenants TWICE and then going on vacation in the Caribbean (he was found in contempt of court).

There are too many stories about Lakhmna to list here. I suggest Googling the guy.

Anyway, he no longer owns 5050 West Pico. The city does.

Specifically, HACLA bought it for Project Homekey.

A year ago, the Westside Current published an incredible three-part exposé on empty Project Homekey units (more than 1200 total!). 5050 West Pico was one of the buildings mentioned in the article (which is paywalled, but trust me, it’s there - and please consider giving the Current some support if you can).

One more reason to take developer promises with a grain of salt: if it’s sold, the buyer might choose not to do what the developer promised with the finished building.

If the building does gain some tenants, please drop me a line. It sickens me to think of a six-story building sitting empty (or mostly empty) in a crisis.

At least the development only replaced three small commercial buildings and not any existing homes.

5050 West Pico Boulevard, Mid-Wilshire.