The Venice Stakeholders
Association has filed a letter with City and Coastal Commission officials
asking that the City adhere to State laws, which require a Coastal Development
Permit and environmental review for any development in the coastal zone,
especially a sizable structure which blocks public views of the beach and
ocean such as the railroad transport container recently installed at Windward
Plaza.
The letter, directed to City Recreation and Parks Commission
president Barry A. Sanders and general manager Jon Kirk Mukri, notes that the container
“constitutes ‘development’ within the Coastal Zone and thus requires the
issuance of a Coastal Development Permit by both the City and the California
Coastal Commission. In addition, the installation requires the preparation of
an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA).”
“The City must abide by the same rules that apply
to private property owners,” said Mark Ryavec, VSA president. “No Boardwalk property owner could plop down
a huge storage container on a parking lot and then start using it to store the
possessions of up to 80 people on a daily basis without the proper
permits.
“That it is an industrial use in a park environment
makes it all the more objectionable.”
The letter demands that the container be removed
immediately, because it is an unpermitted use, and indicates the Stakeholders
will consider applying for an injunction if it is not removed.
