URGENT-MCMANSION CITY COUNCIL VOTE 5/06/08
The Situation.
Last week the City Planning Commission held a hearing on the Baseline
Mansionization Ordinance. The ordinance was referred back to the Commission by
the City Council after the Council made several changes. The Commission has the
right to disapprove a proposed ordinance if the City Council substantially
changes it. The Commission can defer to the head of the City Planning
Department. In this case, Gail Goldberg, the Planning Department head,
disapproved the final form of the ordinance because of some changes made by
Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee, not the City Council. Her
disapproval was incorrect, since the Planning Commission unanimously supportsthe
ordinance in its final form. Unfortunately, Goldberg's erroneous act of
disapproving the ordinance means that the City Council needs 10 votes to approve
the ordinance, instead of the normal simple majority. The Planning Commission
can't change Goldberg's disapproval, but they did vote, unanimously, to strongly
recommend adoption. The matter comes before the full City Council on May 6.
The three substantive changes made by the PLUM are:
· The establishment of a Residential Floor Area District. This provision allows
a neighborhood to establish more restrictive or less restrictive home size
ratios than nominal for the particular zone. This change empowers local
neighborhoods and removes the often voiced objections to a “one size fits all”
ordinance for an area as diverse as Los Angeles.
· The establishment of a “Green Bonus” of a 20% increase in the permissible size
of a house in a particular zone. This would be an either/or situation with
respect to the 20% bonus for articulation of the second story; you can’t get
both.
· The ability of the Planning Department to administratively grant a 10%
variance to the permitted house size without the normal variance and public
hearing process.
Action Required
Now is the time for a final push to approve this critically needed ordinance.
Write/e-mail each of the City Council people to most strongly urge passage.
Attend the May 6th hearing at City Hall. Urge your associates, friends, and
neighbors to do the same. A strong campaign at this time can ensure a successful
end to our year and a half campaign.
Attached are two sample letters and contact information for the council. Please
feel free to revise the sample letters so that we are sending unique letters.
April 27, 2008
Pertinent Councilperson
City of Los Angeles
200 North Spring Street, Room 4xx
Los Angeles, California 90012
Subject: Baseline Mansionization Ordinance, CPC-2007-106-CA
CEQA: ENV-2007-107-ND
On December 12, 2007, Jane Usher expressed concern in an e-mail that the anti-mansionization
ordinance sent to the City Council City by the Planning Commission in June, 2007
had not moved out of committee.
Ms. Usher pointed out that the proposed ordinance was the result of an effort
“led by an unprecedented coalition of homeowners, environmentalists, architects,
affordable housing advocates, and civic groups… The most common criticism of
(sic) the Ordinance is that it is too modest. Indeed, it is not tailored to
protect individual neighborhood character, which must come via overlay zones,
specific plans, and community plan updates. However, while we fiddle,
construction continues on houses that are out of scale for our neighborhoods,
that invade the privacy of their neighbors, that overuse scarce resources, and
that place home ownership further out of reach for the next generation,
including our children. “
It has been almost two years since the City Planning Commission forwarded the
proposed ordinance to the City Council. The Planning Commission recently voted
unanimously to support adoption of the proposed ordinance in its final form.
On May 6, 2008, the proposed Baseline Mansionization Ordinance comes before the
City Council for a vote. After almost two years of review and revision, it is
high time for the full Council to approve this measure. Vote for the proposed
Baseline Manisionization Ordinance!
Name
Address and Associaition
April 27, 2008
Pertinent Councilperson
City of Los Angeles
200 North Spring Street, Room 4xx
Los Angeles, California 90012
Subject: Baseline Mansionization Ordinance, CPC-2007-106-CA
CEQA: ENV-2007-107-ND
We/I strongly urge the City Council to pass the Baseline Mansionization
Ordinance. This Ordinance was the result of unprecedented input and compromise
by homeowner groups, architects, developers, and City personnel. The proposal is
modest; it curtails only massively oversized homes. It permits homes of more
generous size
than similar measures in surrounding cities while seeking to maintain the
integrity of existing neighborhoods and protect the privacy of neighbors.
Although a number of amendments were made to the ordinance originally passed by
the City Planning Commission, we strongly believe that the basic premise of the
proposed ordinance has been maintained. The City Planning Commission agrees with
that assessment, as evidenced by their unanimous vote of support on April 24,
2008 for the revised ordinance. We need the protection of the proposed ordinance
now, before more of our neighborhoods are degraded by oversized homes that are
out of character with our neighborhoods. We therefore urge the City Council to
expedite final passage of the proposed ordinance.
Very truly yours,
Name
Address
[Association]