HERE IS THE 2016 CALENDAR
All PICFAIR VILLAGE meetings are at 10AM every SECOND Saturday of every month at the SGI-USA Friendship Center at 5899 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019. After each General Meeting there is a Board Meeting open to the stakeholders from 12PM-1PM.
Dear PICO Neighborhood Council Stakeholders,
As you may know, mansionization is a hot button issue in Los Angeles, and the city is currently engaged in a process to amend the failed 2008 Baseline Mansionization Ordinance (BMO). Responding to Councilmember Koretz’s May 2014 motion to remove counterproductive exemptions and loopholes from the BMO, the Planning Department prepared and published BMO/BHO Draft Amendments and a Q&A Sheet, and organized a series of outreach meetings at which stakeholders can get informed and express input on the proposed amendments. Possible Council adoption of the amendments is anticipated next summer – following a public comment period, environmental analysis, a staff report, and hearings before various city committees.
Responding to broad and consistent feedback from our stakeholders, the PICO Neighborhood Council board adopted a Community Impact Statement (CIS) supporting meaningful reform of the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance (BMO) and proposing some modifications to the BMO/BHO Draft Amendments. For your reference, a copy of the CIS is pasted below.
City Planning staff and City Council want feedback from individual stakeholders as well, so we write to highlight ways that YOU can be involved:
ATTEND AN OUTREACH MEETING DECEMBER 15 or 16:
Learn more about the proposed amendments and express your opinions at upcoming community outreach meetings on:
Tuesday, December 15, 7–9pm: Ronald F. Deaton Civic Auditorium, 100 W First St (Corner of Main)
Wednesday, December 16, 7–9pm: Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center, 6262 Van Nuys Blvd
Attached please find a copy of the slides from the first such meeting, held on December 2. After an informational presentation, public comments will be heard. If you care about this issue – we encourage you to attend and express your opinions. Note: just because the amendments have been proposed, doesn’t mean they will be adopted. City Planning and City Council members want to hear how you feel about mansionization, and what you think about the proposed amendments.
EMAIL COUNCIL AND PLANNING STAFF WORKING ON BMO AMENDMENTS BY JANUARY 11:
Express your opinions on the current draft amendments. You may share some of your fellow stakeholders’ opinions below, or may have additional and/or different views. Send your comments to:
to: councilmember.wesson@lacity.org, paul.koretz@lacity.org
cc: hagu.solomon-cary@lacity.org, landusepiconc@yahoo.com, elizabeth.carlin@lacity.org, jordan.beroukhim@lacity.org,shawn.bayliss@lacity.org
subject: BMO/BHO Amendments, Council File #14-0656
(If you live outside council district 5 or 10, also add your councilmember, but do still include Councilmembers Koretz and Wesson, who are very important to this effort. The most important recipient is Hagu Solomon-Cary, the planner with primary responsibility for the draft amendments.)
We encourage you to forward this email to anyone who is interested in this issue. Thank you for your interest and involvement with this important initiative.
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Copy of the PICO Neighborhood Council
Community Impact Statement regarding proposed Amendments to the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance
December 10, 2015
Dear Members of the Los Angeles City Council,
At its regular meeting on December 9, 2015, the PICO Neighborhood Council Board passed Motion 2015.12.09.12b: The PICO Neighborhood Council Board supports meaningful reform of the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance (BMO) and proposes modifications to the 10/27/2015 draft amendments.
Mansionization is one of the top concerns of P.I.C.O. Neighborhood Council stakeholders. We are grateful to Councilmember Koretz for sponsoring the motion to amend the BMO, to Planning staff for drafting amendments, and to Council President Wesson for sponsoring the first of the public outreach meetings.
The draft amendments look positive overall. While we support its reasonable floor-area-ratios (FAR), counting attached garage space, and the elimination of some counterproductive bonuses and exemptions, we urge you to correct some loopholes that weaken the amendments proposed by Councilmember Koretz.
1. The draft still excludes from the FAR calculation lattice-roofed porches, patios, and breezeways, and sets no limit on this uncounted space. This is just the kind of loophole that can turn houses into McMansions. With or without a solid roof, these spaces add bulk and should be counted. This unlimited exemption for patios, breezeways, and balconies with open or lattice roofs should be eliminated.
2. The draft retains the proportional stories bonus and sets a tighter proportion (60%, which we support). The second floor calculation should be based on the net square footage of the first floor, not including any exempted space. And as with other “discretionary” matters, the planning department should handle bonuses in a properly-noticed public hearing, which would provide transparency our stakeholders seek.
3. The draft keeps the Zoning Administrator’s discretionary 10 percent “adjustment.” Given community concerns re: lack of transparency, we don’t need yet another adjustment that gets approved behind closed doors. As the city has existing processes for seeking variances and a wealth of flexible zoning tools currently in development, this provision should be eliminated.
We believe these changes respect the intent of Councilmember Koretz’s original motion, and ensure that the ordinance does not retain harmful loopholes – or worse yet, create new ones. We ask you to make these changes to the draft amendments. A stronger BMO will encourage responsible development compatible with the scale and character of existing neighborhoods; allow spacious homes that easily accommodate modern families; preserve existing affordable single family homes; foster environmental and economic sustainability; and nurture residential communities that are critical to the vitality of our great city.
This motion should be submitted as a Community Impact Statement to Council File 14-0656.
Sincerely yours,
Brad S. Kane
President, PICO Neighborhood Council
As part of the city’s Neighborhood Council Initiative Program, the Bureau of Street Services (BSS) works with neighborhood councils twice per year, to dispatch two workers and a small truck to do minor asphalt repairs on potholes and pop outs, and patch eroded or cracked areas. PICO Neighborhood Council (which includes 11 neighborhoods) is invited to prioritize its 15 most urgent requests for the next “pothole blitz” scheduled for December 17 (time permitting, the team may be able to repair more).
In order to compile the list and set priorities, we need your help! Please send addresses (specific street addresses, please) and a brief description of the problem (pothole, pop-out, crack or erosion) to info@piconc.com by Friday, November 20, 2015. A picture would be helpful, if you can provide one.
And, outside these ‘pothole blitzes’ you can always make service requests at http://bss.lacity.org/request.htm for issues such as pothole or street repairs; street needs resurfacing; tree needs trimming; fallen tree, branches, or palm fronds; alley needs cleaning; street needs sweeping; object/debris in street; leaf blower violation; broken or damaged sidewalks; sidewalk obstruction; problem with/on median; downed palm fronds; and permits for tree pruning, tree removal, root pruning and stump removal. Large requests (such as the major overhaul or resurfacing of alleys) are best addressed to our city council office representatives, who can help prioritize and seek funding for more major repairs. The phone number for District 10 is 323-733-8233 and District 5 is 323-866-1828.
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Sylvia Schweri
CHAPS Neighborhood Association representative
Outreach Committee co-chair
http://piconc.com/
The Department of City Planning will be holding four open house/public hearing sessions regarding the proposed amendments to single-family zones (aka Baseline Mansionization and Hillside Ordinance). The proposed amendments will apply to properties zoned R1, RS, RE, and RA and all interested persons are invited to attend.
Please see the attached notice for details on the date, time, and location of each session scheduled in the month of December.
Feel free to forward this information to interested parties. If you received this email via forwarded message from someone else and would like to receive updates directly from the Planning Department, please email neighborhoodconservation@lacity.org and ask to be added to the interest list. Please type “Add Me to BMO/BHO Notification List” in the subject line.
Our next meeting is this Saturday, November 14th at 10am. We look forward to seeing you there!
Good Afternoon Pico NC,I hope this finds each of you well. I wanted to ask you to save the date for Winter Wonderland on Dec 12. We will need volunteers. Here are the particulars.We are looking for volunteers to help assist us on Saturday December 12from 8am–2:30pm. Volunteer duties include help with lunch service, arts and craft station, holiday photos with Santa, and snow sledding. The event will take place at our district office, 1819 S. Western Ave.If students need volunteer services hours we can sign the forms that may be required. Please let me know if you have any questions.With Thanks!Liz Carlin
DeputyOffice of Council President Herb J. Wesson Jr.