News of the Arroyo
Title: | ICO Approved by PLUM! |
Subtitle: | Major Victory for Open Space in Northeast LA |
Date: | 2006-07-12 |
Summary: | July 12, 2006 - In a major victory for lovers of open space in Los Angeles, the key city council committee has aproved the Northeast Hillside Interim Control Ordinance. |
Author: | Release |
Publication: | Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Countil |
Content: | July 12, 2006 Congratulations Northeast Los Angeles! It took close to two years, but it was worth the wait. On Tuesday, July 11, 2006, the Northeast Hillside Interim Control Ordinance (ICO) was approved by the Planning and Land Use Management Committee of the City Council. Thanks to many Northeast Los Angeles community advocates who came to the hearing and spoke with one unified voice. Residents from El Sereno, Mount Washington, Glassell Park, Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park were represented at the hearing. Special thanks to the organizations that sent representatives to testify in favor of the ICO on very short notice: Center for Law in the Public Interest, Anahuak Youth Sports Association, Latino Urban Forum, Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance. Briefly, the Northeast Hillside ICO will put in place design and construction standards covering floor area ratio (size of building), grading and tree protections for hillside areas of Mount Olympus/Flattop, Paradise Hill, Rose Hill, Ascot Hill and Elephant Hill. PLUM also approved the recommendation to allocate the staff resources to implement the ICO and Specific Plan, and require environmental assessments for all projects. One last addition to the ICO limited the size of a garage to 400 square feet; uncovered (carport/driveway) parking was not limited. A committee (referred to as a focus group) will be convened to develop permanent regulations or a Specific Plan for these areas. Because Mt. Washington and Glassell Park were excluded from the ICO, advocates asked for an amendment to the ICO to ensure that ALL hillside areas within the Northeast Community Planning Area would be included in the Specific Plan focus group process. Councilmembers Huizar and Reyes voiced support for a Northeast Community Plan Hillside Specific Plan – but, according to the City Attorney, this change would have held up the ICO, which both Councilmembers were reluctant to do, given the amount time that has elapsed since the inception of this ordinance. We will continue to work with the Planning Department and Council offices to explore options to ensure that all Northeast hillside and canyon areas receive greater regulatory protections. Next steps involve moving the ICO through Personnel and Finance committees and then going before the full City Council for final approval. We will keep everyone informed with details about the ICO/specific plan process and upcoming hearings. In closing, we want to recognize the organizations that have stood in support of the ICO with Northeast Los Angeles Open Space Coalition: Anahuak Youth Sports Association Arroyo Seco Foundation Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council Audubon Society – Los Angeles Center for Law in the Public Interest Federation of Hillside and Canyon Associations Glassell Park Neighborhood Council Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council Latino Urban Forum Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance Natural Resources Defense Council North East Trees Northeast Los Angeles Open Space Coalition Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Silver Lake Neighborhood Council The River Project Urban Environmental Planning Institute, Occidental College William C. Velasquez Institute Elva Yanez Clare Marter Kenyon James Rojas Northeast Open Space Coalition ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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