The Venice Stakeholders
Association today endorsed the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative.
The initiative,
sponsored by the Coalition to Preserve LA and slated for the March 7, 2017
ballot, will place a two-year moratorium on “spot” zoning, the controversial
practice of up-zoning land to allow mega developments that are frequently out
of proportion and character to the surrounding area.
The initiative
would also require the City to up-date its General Plan and all 35 Community
Plans in consultation with residents.
These plans provide the framework for development in all Los Angeles communities. Many of these plans have not been up-dated in
many years to reflect changes in traffic, utility availability, population,
environmental considerations, resident sentiment, etc.
In a
further leveling of the planning process, the initiative would take preparation
of Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) out of the hands of developers and give
this task to the city, increasing impartiality and transparency.
“The
initiative also draws attention to another dubious city practice, the amendment
of the city’s General Plan for individual parcels of land,” Ryavec noted. Under the City Charter, General Plan
amendments can only be made to "significant" areas though this rule
has been ignored by city officials in the past. The initiative defines "significant"
as communities or neighborhoods of at least 15 acres in size.
“Under
this definition none of the homeless housing projects Councilman Bonin is
forcing on Venice residents without their consent could legally obtain the necessary
General Plan amendment from their current ‘public facilities’ designation
because none exceed 15 acres,” Ryavec said. (The need for a General Plan
amendment for these sites was suggested by City Administrative Officer Miguel
Santana in an article in the Los Angeles Times on October 10th.)
Bonin’s
three homeless projects proposed for Venice
are slated for:
1. An
unused city yard in the Oxford Triangle neighborhood.
- A city parking lot one block from the beach and next to the Venice Canals.
- The decommissioned Metro bus yard between Main Street and Pacific Avenue.
