A 40-unit, seven-story apartment building at 2301 N. Sepulveda Blvd. is about to become Manhattan Beach's tallest residential project to start construction, bringing 22 months of building activity and a year-long lane closure to one of the city's busiest corridors.

City officials hosted a pre-construction community meeting at the site on Thursday, June 25, to introduce the development team to neighbors and outline logistics. Demolition of the former Enterprise Rent-A-Car building is expected to begin in July, according to a report by MB News.

The project, developed by Matt Moore through his family-owned entity 2301 N. Sepulveda, LLC, will include studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments above a 47-space parking garage. Eleven of the 40 units will be reserved for lower-income households: three at moderate-income levels and eight for low-income renters, under density bonus requirements.

Manhattan Beach approved the project ministerially under California's density bonus law, meaning the city could not deny or scale back the building if it met state standards. The site falls within the city's Residential Overlay District, established in March 2023 as part of its 6th Cycle Housing Element, which allows taller residential projects along Sepulveda Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue.

Neighbors have pushed back. Stop the RISE, a local nonprofit opposition group, notes the building rises seven stories where local zoning allows three, and provides just 1.17 parking spaces per unit. The group's petition warns the project "sets a dangerous precedent" and estimates that similar developments along Sepulveda could collectively add more than 4,000 residents to the city.

At least seven other taller residential proposals are in various stages of review along Sepulveda and Rosecrans, including an 18-story condo tower at 2705 N. Sepulveda and a 273-unit project at the former Fry's Electronics site at 3600 N. Sepulveda.

Construction will begin with two and a half to three months of demolition and excavation, followed by roughly 19 months of building. Drivers on Sepulveda should expect a lane closure lasting approximately one year during that stretch. No further public hearings are required for the project under state law.