One of Southern California’s most notorious stalled development sites, a massive block-spanning excavation pit dubbed “Lake WeHo” by frustrated locals, could finally be headed toward a dramatic transformation after five years.
Drastically altered plans have been unveiled for the vacant Melrose Triangle site in West Hollywood, with developers swapping out hundreds of square feet of office space for housing, marking the latest attempt to revive the lot.
Under the new plan, which was presented at a May 27 Melrose Triangle community meeting, the project would feature three interconnected seven-story buildings with 282 apartments, including 66 affordable housing units for seniors, along with nearly 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
The development would also include 528 parking spaces spread across three subterranean levels.
Renderings drafted by Corbel Architects and landscape architects SWA Group show the project designed as a pedestrian oriented destination, centered around a massive, open-air central courtyard.
Pedestrians would be able to come into the property from main entry points along Santa Monica Boulevard and the bustling intersection of Melrose Avenue and Almont Drive.
Earlier versions of the project heavily emphasized work space, and included as much as 225,000 square feet of offices and only 76 apartments.
“The open space at Melrose Triangle is envisioned as a curated outdoor gallery-where landscape, materials, art, and social life are intentionally designed as a sequence of outdoor ‘rooms,’” the presentation states.
“Rather than a single plaza, the experience unfolds as a walkable sequence of distinct zones-arrival, social gathering, flexible exhibition, and garden retreat — each with its own character and level of activity,” the team noted in their official presentation materials, hoping to attract seasonal pop-ups and activations as well.
The new proposal comes after years of setbacks that left the project at the 2.7-acre triangular parcel in limbo.
West Hollywood approved a version of the project in 2014, but repeated redesigns and changing market conditions kept the project in limbo.
The developer, The Charles Company, initially began excavation on the lot in 2021, but then construction halted, entitlement permits lapsed, and a massive crater was left in a premier shopping and nightlife district.
Plus, the project’s lengthy stall is inseparable from the legal drama surrounding the developer’s leadership.
In 2022, Arman Gabaee, the co-managing partner at The Charles Company, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison. Gabaee was convicted of fraud after offering to buy a million-dollar home for a county official in the hopes of securing a $45 million county lease for his company.
In 2025, city officials ordered the developer to backfill the site after the entitlements expired, which includes about 270,000 cubic feet, according to WeHo Online. However, developers are rushing to get new plans approved to avoid having to fill the pit, that would only need to be excavated again later.
Under the new plans, about 61% of the apartments would be one-bedroom units, with the remaining 39% as two-bedrooms. The ground level would feature a 1,300-square-foot courtyard cafe alongside a 1,000-square-foot courtyard food venue. The buildings sixth floor plan calls for two big restaurants spanning a combined 8,500-square-feet.
With 58,000 square feet of open common space, the project far exceeds the minimum of 2,000 square feet required by the city.
The plan still need to go through the city approval process before construction can move forward.
