Venice homeless housing development continues in limbo as councilmember declares the project dead

A homeless man sleeps on a sidewalk in June in front of a parking lot where the Venice Dell project has been planned at Venice Boulevard and Main Street in Venice. A former staffer for Mayor Karen Bass responsible for expediting affordable housing developments told The Times that his superiors directed him to stop advancing Venice Dell through city bureaucracy two years ago after local elections ushered in project opponents in key roles. “There is no lot to build it on.” Becky Dennison, co-executive director of Venice Community Housing, disputed that the city commission’s decision meant the end of the project, calling it instead “a political ploy.” Dennison said the Coastal Commission’s approval will force the mayor and City Council, which previously voted to advance Venice Dell, to take action and reveal their commitment to providing affordable housing in a neighborhood that has very little. Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl said in a statement that the mayor’s office worked with city departments on funding applications and deadline extensions for Venice Dell “even in the midst of litigation and a challenging road to approval.” Bass did not commit to backing the project after this week’s decisions. “Those things have now happened.” Park said she supported the transportation commission’s decision, which she said would balance the need for resident and tourist parking in Venice with affordable housing on the nearby site.