🗞 Concerned For WPDR - Community Updates As Of 10 15 2024
What Caught My Attention Last Week
🚩 Tonight - PLUC! 🚩
Tonight is the monthly meeting for the Neighorhood Council’s Planning & Land Use Committee. The agenda is up on this page and it’s going to be a busy meeting! Look at the exhibits to the agenda for more details on each agenda item.
The 7166 Manchester developer is coming back. This project is huge and planned for the Pep Boys/Del Taco lots at Manchester/La Tijera. The project proposed is a 96 ft, 8-story mixed use building containing 489 dwelling units and approximately 16,120 SF of commercial space for a total of 416,890 SF.
I also invite everybody to come out and share your thoughts in the public comments portion of the meeting.
The senior living project slated for the Staples lot at 8704 & 8711 Sepulveda Blvd/Eastway is also on the agenda. The proposed project includes two 7 & 8-story buildings with 120 licensed Assisted Living and Independent Living units in the West Building and 146 units in East building. This developer is not asking for any discretionary approvals, and is moving fast.
There is also a small project in PdR on the agenda for a single-family home seeking special vehicle access to busy streets.
The Housing Element & CHIP Head To PLUM
As I reported in my September 28th update, we dodged a bullet in front of the Planning Commission, and for another minute, R-1 is exempt from the builder incentives under the Housing Element, but the Housing Element & CHIP are now headed to the City Council’s Planning & Land Use Committee, and then on to the full City Council for a vote. The Housing Element must be approved no later than mid-February, and with the holidays looming, time is short.
There are severe consequences for LA if the Housing Element is not approved on time. If our Housing Element is decertified by the state, developers can rush in and file for Builder’s Remedy projects. I presume the City Council is taking this seriously. We need to make sure they don’t mess this up.
PLUM meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. The PLUM Meeting has not been scheduled for this week, so the earliest we’ll see a meeting scheduled is November 5th, but given Nov 5 is Election Day, I’m skeptical they’ll have a big meeting that day. On the other hand, this is a hot potato issue and having the meeting on a busy day might be one way to minimize public involvement. 😁
Please stay tuned. As soon as the meeting is scheduled, I’ll be asking you to submit comments again and to attend the hearing if possible. Our lead time will likely be short. Our comments will generally be the same as last time in front of the Planning Commission, but this time we will be addressing them to the Committee with a new matter number. The Committee Members are:
John Lee, Chair
Heather Hutt
Imelda Padilla
Kevin de Leon
Katy Yaraslavsky
It will be critical for us to make a big showing in front of this subgroup of the larger City Council. As you all likely know, our City Council is heavily stacked with progressive councilmembers who would love nothing better than an opportunity to obliterate our mature R-1 neighborhoods in the name of “social justice.”
Sharpen your pencils! I’ll be back to you soon.
Little Vons Update
There has been much speculation about the Little Vons in Kentwood, and whether it’s going away. As you might recall, the store is scheduled to be sold if the Kroger/Albertsons Merger is approved.
In August, the Federal Trade Commission made a motion for a preliminary injunction against the merger. The FTC argued the merger will be anticompetitive. The grocery chains argued they can’t be competitive without the merger. The trial concluded on September 17th, and the judge committed to a swift decision, but we haven’t seen a ruling yet.
Separately, attorneys general in Washington State and Colorado are also both seeking to block the merger, adding another layer of complexity and uncertainty to the merger’s future.
No matter the outcome in the FTC case, there will likely be appeals. For now, Little Vons stays Little Vons. But no matter what grocery store has its name on the sign, a little birdie told me that the CPU planners still have their eye on that lot for big upzoning. 🙄
Can You Help?
Our friends at United Neighbors shared that two historic neighborhoods (Wellington Square & Lafayette Square) are seeking support for petitions to fight city actions.
One petition is to have Metro study possible changes in routing for their K line so as not to impact this neighborhood so negatively, and the second petition is to grandfather in the vehicular gates that were installed decades ago to minimize crime and traffic accidents. In this latter community, the pedestrian gates are open but vehicular gates are not open 24/7. The community fears they may be ordered to keep vehicular gates open as well which becomes a safety issue for the neighborhood.
Please support these communities by signing their petitions:
LA Metro: https://chng.it/jysXwYrZ88
Safety Petition: https://chng.it/g8dQGx2XRX
Metro Design Event
And for something fun, how about participating in the design around our metro light rail station? Read more about the First/Last Mile Program here. Attend the meeting to learn about participating (excerpt from our councilperson’s weekly newsletter).
No On Measure A
Circling The News published a very compelling article explaining why we should vote NO on Measure A. Yes, there is a very heart-tugging narrative that the funds will help the poor and homeless, but the poor are exactly who will suffer the most with yet another increase in our sales tax.
The LA Times reported last week that the Measure is gaining support with younger voters, but obviously those voters are not thinking through who pays the tax, along with ignoring huge inefficiencies in how our homeless dollars are spent. It’s time for the adults in the room to step up and say NO.
Don’t miss the quote from Westchester’s own Tim Campbell, calling Measure A “one of the most cynical propositions on the ballot.”
Measure A is intended to increase and replace Measure H, set to expire in 2027. Measure A, by the way, includes no expiration date.
Content Authenticity Statement
100% of this week’s newsletter was generated by me, Tracy Thrower Conyers. No AI here. And if I add any, I will tell you. 😊
🚨 Please take a minute right now to forward this email to 5 neighbors or local friends. 🚨
Until Next Time…
Be well and use this link to refer others to The Politics Of Housing. Let’s grow a community of informed neighbors!
Concerned For Westchester Playa - Sharing upzoning and housing policy information and guidance to residents in Westchester, Playa del Rey, Ladera & Playa Vista