Bolour Associates has sold an East Pasadena development site that benefits from Los Angeles County's new mixed-use zoning ordinance. The development and investment firm entitled the land site under the new zoning rules, and sold it to APPA Real Estate for $8.5 million. This is the first land site to earn entitlements under the new program, which applies to mixed-use development near metro rail sites.

"There would be no project without the rezoning of this area. Before the rezoning, the site did not allow for enough FAR, density or height to be able to build a mixed-use multifamily project," Mark Bolour, CEO of Bolour Associates, tells GlobeSt.com. "The previous zoning also did not allow for mixed-use development in this area of Los Angeles County. The updated zoning allows up to 60 feet in height and up to 150 units per acre, which gives property owners the ability to build up to a five-story project and create the density necessary to make the project viable."

As the first developer to entitle a project under the new regulations, Bolour had some challenges in navigating the guidelines. "The county did a great job of creating a vision for the area and effectively implementing the new MXD zoning but because they are a regulatory agency a lot of the small details were not addressed," says Bolour. "As we designed the project and worked with the planning department and department of building and safety, we had to get creative about how we solved a lot of these small issues that came up. You definitely need to be very patient."