We Have A Better Plan
This post originally appeared on ConcernedForWestchesterPlaya.com
Last week at the community meeting I sat through yet one more presentation by city planners telling us our community hasn't done its fair share to provide housing in LA and in particular, affordable housing.
7 slides out of 45 were dedicated to fair housing, code for "you're part of the westside and you need to take a bigger share of units." It's only fair after all for some bizarre undisclosed reason....
The logic, in case you miss the irony, is that the city wants to take our westside communities, the ones we worked so hard to make desirable, and stuff them with less desirable housing stock, thereby dragging down the community's desirability.
Who does that benefit again?
Oh yeah. The developers who get to build that crap, but I digress.
The planners then followed with a blatantly false slide claiming we've only built 45 affordable units from 2009 to 2020. Maybe they missed Phase 2 of Playa Vista?
And that was just the wind up to the slides about their stupid high density plans for us.
And not even a passing nod to all the existing affordable housing they're willing to raze in our community in the name of high-rise market rate boxes, nor any kind of nod to the fact that Westchester already provides some of the most affordable housing on the westside.
And certainly no nod to the idea our streets are overburdened with traffic in and out of a world airport with expansion plans.
No, they have orders to rezone our little Mayberry for tens of thousands of high-rise units and like the good little soldiers they are, that is the unimaginative plan they put on the table.
Not even a cute little Village in sight.
They would have learned the error of their ways, had they bothered to stick around and listen to our counter plan. Instead, they waited around a token five minutes while the first community presentation started and then snuck out the back door.
I've heard them say many times they want our input, yet the first opportunity they had to hear it, they bolted.
And the presentations were impressive. You could tell all four groups worked very hard to provide thoughtful commentary. Our councilperson stuck it out and listened to everything, but the planners were long gone.
Our group recorded our plan, using the slides from our presentation on Monday. Watch the video and then please share with your neighbors and other Westchester friends and family.
Feedback we've already received on the video is that it's easy to watch, so please take a few minutes and watch.
Read more about my meeting observations in Tracy's Post-Meeting Observations.
If you're still not mad, read High-Rise Next To My Home? Say What?
Please Sign Our Petition
Tracy is active in a number of local community organizations including the Neighborhood Council PLUC, Neighborhood Council Ad Hoc CPU Committee, Kentwood Home Guardians and Emerson Ave Community Garden Club. The views expressed in this post are Tracy’s alone, and should not be construed in any way as an opinion of any other group. Are you planning a meeting with the planners? Have Tracy along to make sure you get the same information other community members get. Are you willing to host a group of your neighbors for a talk? Tracy would be happy to join you.
About Tracy Thrower Conyers Tracy Thrower Conyers is a long-time resident of Westchester 90045. Tracy closely follows local politics, political players and social chatter relevant to Westchester. You’ll frequently find her at Neighborhood Council meetings, as well as on all the social platforms where 90045 peeps hang out. Tracy is a real estate broker and founding principal in Silicon Beach Properties. She is a recognized expert on Silicon Beach and its impact on residential and residential income real estate, and has been featured by respected media outlets including the LA Times, KPCC and KCET. Tracy is also a licensed attorney and accidental housing policy junkie.