Areas We Serve · Pacific Palisades
Custom homes, rebuilding, renovations, interiors, hillside planning and construction coordination for the western Los Angeles coast.
Local perspective
Pacific Palisades projects call for a thoughtful relationship among neighborhood, canyon, coast, view, privacy and resilient rebuilding. Apel Design brings early site thinking, architectural identity and practical delivery knowledge into one process.
Relevant experience
The right scope follows the property and ambition. These paths show the most relevant starting points.
Work in Pacific Palisades
Projects located in Pacific Palisades and the immediately surrounding neighborhoods. Where a project is not in Pacific Palisades itself, its neighborhood is named.
The coastal zone
A coastal development permit is needed for most work here, and the word development reaches further than people expect: grading, additions and changes in the intensity of use are all caught by it. Most Pacific Palisades parcels sit inside the City of Los Angeles Local Coastal Program, so the permit is issued by City Planning's Coastal Division rather than by the Commission itself. Some locations near the beach, a bluff or a stream need a second permit from the Commission as well.
Which of those applies is settled parcel by parcel, not street by street, so it is the first thing to establish on a Palisades property and the last thing anyone should assume.
How coastal permits workRebuilding after the fireHow we work
Apel Design can begin with a site, an existing building, a feasibility question or a clear creative ambition. The team brings together architectural design, planning and entitlement experience, interiors, consultant coordination, preconstruction and field knowledge according to the needs of the project.
Architecture is performed in association with Michael B. Maclaren, AIA. Licensed construction is provided by Creative New Dimensions Inc, CA General Building Contractor, Class B, CSLB #1056632, in conjunction with Apel Design for Design-Build.
Questions
Most likely yes. Most parcels here sit inside the City of Los Angeles Local Coastal Program, where the coastal development permit is issued by City Planning's Coastal Division. Locations near the beach, a coastal bluff or a stream can need a second permit from the California Coastal Commission. The answer is decided parcel by parcel, so it is worth settling before a design commits to anything.
Executive orders issued from January 2025 suspended Coastal Act permitting for rebuilding structures damaged or destroyed in the fires, within limits on location, footprint and height. That position has been changing, so confirm it against the current orders for your own parcel and scope.
Architectural services are performed in association with Michael B. Maclaren, AIA.
Licensed construction is provided by Creative New Dimensions Inc, CA General Building Contractor, Class B, CSLB #1056632, in conjunction with Apel Design for Design-Build.
