If you have a Los Angeles job on the Westside and flights in and out of LAX, Alessio’s location at 5700 W Centinela Ave is the pitch that gets your attention. The question is whether the tradeoffs of a 624-home resort-style complex built in 2001 line up with your daily life and your lease priorities. Think commute time, plane noise, pet costs, and how often you will actually use a pool with three adjoining spas.
The goal here is to help you pressure test Alessio against the way LA really works. We’ll stick to specifics and compare a couple of nearby alternatives so you can tour with a clear checklist rather than a sales script.
Alessio is in Westchester, just east of the Playa del Rey bluffs and essentially on the edge of Culver City. From the leasing office, it is roughly 4.1 miles to the terminals at LAX, which is why many residents here work in aviation, media, and tech tied to Silicon Beach. That airport proximity is a genuine convenience if you travel weekly, and it keeps rideshare costs to the airport predictable.
Transit is usable for short hops. The K Line’s Westchester/Veterans station sits about 1.9 miles away, which makes rail a realistic option if you are willing to bike or rideshare to the station, but most residents still default to the 405, 90, and 10 freeways for cross-town trips. If you split time between the coast and mid-city, Alessio’s access to all three is the tangible advantage over coastal-only addresses that add 15 minutes just to reach a highway.
If you walk the neighborhood, Centinela is more functional than charming. Groceries, coffee, and service retail are within a short drive rather than downstairs, and Culver City’s dining starts to feel close once you learn the back streets around Sepulveda and Jefferson. For beach time, the sand in Playa del Rey is an easy weekend drive, and Loyola Marymount University is a straight shot up Lincoln and LMU Drive.
Alessio is a garden-style, gated community of one- and two-bedroom apartments plus a handful of loft-style layouts. Published square footage runs from about 666 to 1,173 square feet, with private patios or balconies across most plans. Select apartments add vaulted ceilings, a gas fireplace, or updated finishes like quartz counters and stainless appliances. If you need real storage, look closely at bedroom closet width and linen space; not every floor plan carries the same volume.
The outdoors are Alessio’s calling card. The central pool is oversized by LA standards and flanked by three spas, with palm-lined walkways and small pocket lawns that give the grounds a resort aesthetic. The fitness center is full-service, there is a resident lounge and shared work area for laptop days, and the community is pet friendly. On the practical side, there are EV charging stations on site, controlled-access entries, elevators, and courtesy patrol. These are the assets you will actually use if you live here longer than one lease cycle.
Pet costs are not a guessing game. Under Essex Apartment Homes’ current California fee schedule, communities including Alessio charge $50 per month for cats and $75 per month for dogs in pet rent, with a separate refundable pet deposit and standard breed rules. That monthly line item can eclipse the cost of a gym membership over a year, so bake it into your total housing budget up front rather than treating it as an add-on later.
Leasing access is seven days a week. The posted office hours are Monday–Tuesday 9 am–6 pm, Wednesday 10 am–6 pm, Thursday–Saturday 9 am–6 pm, and Sunday 10 am–5 pm. If you are comparing multiple properties in one day, that Wednesday 10 am start time matters more than you think for squeezing in a midday tour between work calls.
Airport proximity is the unavoidable tradeoff. Expect audible plane traffic at intervals, especially midday and evenings when departures stack up. Some buildings and courtyards carry sound differently, and top-floor lofts with vaulted ceilings can amplify ambient noise. A mid-tour pause with the balcony door open will tell you more than any marketing brochure.
Parking and e-mobility are a little easier here than in denser Westside submarkets. Alessio offers on-site parking with assigned options and EV charging, so if you are juggling two vehicles or a plug-in hybrid, that’s a real logistical win versus older triplexes in Mar Vista that lean on street parking and extension cords. For rideshare, pickups at Centinela and Buckingham are quick, though afternoon traffic stacking on the northbound 405 on-ramp can make the last half-mile of your commute the slowest part.
If your job runs late, check the staffed hours for package handling and the location of parcel lockers during your tour. Also ask to see the laundry setup in your specific floor plan; most recent Alessio listings note in-home laundry, but older, non-renovated stacks in any large community can vary by building and plan.
You will get the cleanest read on Alessio by putting it next to two nearby peers that solve the same problems a little differently. All three are within a four-mile circle of LAX and sit on the west side of the 405.
| Community | Where | Unit Mix | Notable Amenities or Policies | Leasing Hours |
| Alessio | 5700 W Centinela Ave, Los Angeles (Westchester) | 1–2 BR; approx. 666–1,173 sq ft | Large pool with three spas; EV charging; resident lounge and shared workspace; pet rent $50/cat, $75/dog per month | Mon–Tue 9–6, Wed 10–6, Thu–Sat 9–6, Sun 10–5 |
| The Madrid | 8655 Belford Ave, Los Angeles (Westchester) | 1–3 BR; approx. 675–1,135 sq ft | Townhomes and flats around landscaped courtyards; pool terrace; fitness center; pet friendly | Typically 10–6 daily, Sun 10–5 |
| Playa Del Oro | 8601 Lincoln Blvd, Los Angeles (Westchester/Playa del Rey corridor) | Studios, 1–3 BR | On-site dog park, EV charging, business center, coffee lounge; ground-floor retail in the complex | Posted as 9–6 daily; tours by appointment |
How to read that table. Alessio leans hard into resort-style grounds and a predictable commute grid off Centinela. The Madrid is a little more residential in feel with townhome options and a simpler courtyard layout, and its 1–3 BR range can help if you need a third bedroom. Playa Del Oro adds on-site retail energy and more community rooms, plus a posted 9 am–6 pm window seven days a week that makes touring after work simpler.
If you split hairs on pet policies, Alessio’s published $50/$75 monthly pet rent line is unusually transparent. Some neighboring properties list “pet friendly” without a number until application. If you are cost sensitive and have two dogs, that difference pencils out at several hundred dollars per year and should be part of your apples-to-apples total.
Alessio was built in 2001, so it is not covered by the City of Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance, which generally applies to buildings with a first certificate of occupancy on or before October 1, 1978. That is why you will not see the city’s RSO registration notice in the same way you would in an older Miracle Mile fourplex.
State rules still matter. California’s Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) caps annual rent increases for most homes more than 15 years old at 5% plus CPI, up to a maximum of 10% in any 12-month period. Unless a specific exemption applies, a 2001-built community like Alessio typically falls under that statewide cap. The cap resets annually and uses the regional CPI figure, so it is smart to ask the leasing office what the current year’s limit is before you sign.
Expect a standardized fee schedule. Essex’s current California schedule lists monthly pet rent for communities including Alessio at $50/cat and $75/dog, and it passes through the City’s Systematic Code Enforcement Program fee as a small monthly charge on affected properties. Application screening fees, refundable security deposits, and parking assignments are handled per-unit and will be disclosed with your quote. Rather than chasing headline base rent, compare total monthly housing cost including pet rent, parking, and any recurring community fees.
Office logistics make touring simpler. Alessio’s posted hours are seven days a week, with the mid-week 10 am open on Wednesdays. If your schedule is rigid, Playa Del Oro’s 9 am–6 pm daily window may give you a cleaner after-work option, while The Madrid’s 10 am–6 pm cadence matches many Westchester complexes.
Stand on the balcony with the slider open for a full minute and listen for plane departures and Centinela traffic. Repeat on the ground near the spa cluster. Flight paths drift during the day, so you want a real-world read rather than a quiet morning showing.
Upper-floor, courtyard-facing homes tend to get better light without street glare, but they also pick up more pool noise on weekends. If privacy is a concern, check sightlines from opposite buildings into living rooms and bedrooms; long garden-style corridors sometimes align directly with living areas.
If you work from home a few days a week, sit with your laptop in the shared lounge during your tour to check Wi‑Fi stability and white noise. Confirm if your specific floor plan includes a nook or if you will rely on the shared spaces. Look for the closest power outlets and whether those lounges feel busy at 3 pm.
Ask how many EV ports are active today and whether they are first-come or reservable. If you have two vehicles, confirm whether you receive two assigned spaces or one assigned plus open parking. That difference shapes your nightly routine more than a quartz counter ever will.
No. Alessio is a 2001-built community, so it is generally not covered by the City of Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance that applies to most buildings first occupied on or before October 1, 1978. Statewide AB 1482 rent caps typically apply instead, using the 5% plus CPI, up to 10% formula.
Plan about 4.1 miles to the LAX terminals. The nearest rail stop is the K Line’s Westchester/Veterans station at roughly 1.9 miles. Most residents still drive for daily errands, with quick freeway access to the 405, 90, and 10.
Essex’s current schedule lists monthly pet rent of $50 per cat and $75 per dog at communities including Alessio, plus a refundable pet deposit and standard breed restrictions. If you have multiple pets, include that predictable monthly amount in your total housing number.
Tour The Madrid at 8655 Belford Ave if you want 1–3 BR options and a more traditional courtyard layout. Tour Playa Del Oro at 8601 Lincoln Blvd if you prefer on-site EV charging, an on-site dog park, and a posted 9 am–6 pm touring window seven days a week.
To narrow the choice, decide whether you value airport-near convenience over quieter evenings, then total up your full monthly cost including pet rent, parking, and any recurring community fees. If those numbers still work after a midday noise check, Alessio’s location and amenities make practical sense for a Westside workweek.
Published: September 4, 2026