Yaroslavsky slams density bonus law at Valley VOTE

BY NAZBANOO PAHLAVI in this week's www.suncommunitynewspapers.com

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky addressed land use and the state density bonus law SB 1818 at Valley VOTE’s (Voters Organized Toward Empowerment) February 21 meeting in Van Nuys.

Yaroslavsky criticized the Los Angeles City Council for failing to fully discuss controversial issues before voting to adopt the law, calling SB 1818 the first step toward reversing several important planning restrictions enacted in the 1980s and 90s. These include Proposition U, which Yaroslavsky helped pass in 1986, aiming to tighten the reigns on property developers.

“In the absence of people speaking out to their elected officials, the elected officials will do what comes naturally – and they go to meet business,” Yaroslavsky said.

SB 1818 was passed as a state law in 2004 entitling developers to obtain density bonuses if their proposed projects include at least five percent affordable housing. Such bonuses, or what Yaroslavsky terms “exceedences,” include increased height, a smaller number of required parking spaces, and side yard and rear yard set-back reductions.

The definition of affordable housing is determined by a federally devised schema based on very low, low and moderate percentages of the median annual household income, in addition to senior citizen housing.

Yaroslavsky noted that rent-controlled units could be demolished to build high-end condominiums, forcing out residents unable to afford a new home. This was the situation in a West Los Angeles building he cited whose so-called affordable units were priced around $500,000.

Although Yaroslavsky said he supports high-density projects along public transit lines, this ordinance would affect single family home neighborhoods by clogging up street parking, allowing large, multi-family projects, and discouraging eco-friendly home improvements such as the installation of solar panes – which would be made ineffective due to shadows cast by tall buildings.

The Supervisor said only two entities have the power to refute the bonuses awarded by the planning office – the developer himself and “the sucker who has to live next door.”

He called the City Planning Department, headed by Gail Goldberg, a “new regime” caving in to the pro-growth platform of the mayor and City Hall.

Yaroslavsky urged neighborhood organizations to speak up to counter developers and their attorneys, who have been vocal at city council meetings.

“They’ve used this as a pretext to promote greater density, greater height, all under the guise of affordable housing. It’s a bad ordinance. It’s a bad law,” he said.

Also at the meeting, Valley VOTE member George Truesdell addressed plans for Los Angeles city clerk Frank Martinez to take over the monitoring of neighborhood council elections.

Transportation Officials Discuss Traffic Fixes for L.A.

Published today in all three Sun Community Newspapers. Encino Sun comes out tomorrow.

www.suncommunitynewspapers.com Please leave specific comments regarding the article on the Sun site so the discussion reaches a greater net of interested parties.

Transportation officials discuss traffic fixes for L.A.
BY NAZBANOO PAHLAVI

The Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley held an INFO Summit November 1 to discuss the roles of public transportation, cargo movement and traffic in the economic development of the Valley and its 1.84 million residents.

Held at the Holiday Inn in Burbank, the Summit featured talks between city officials, planners and stakeholders. David Fleming, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Chair and Metro Board Member, moderated three panels.

“The public basically is opposed to change and yet they hate gridlock,” Fleming said. Proposed solutions have included one-way streets, congestion pricing, and the restriction of left-turn lanes during peak hours.

Wendy Greuel, Chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee and 2nd district representative, remarked that such solutions had a noticeable impact when implemented temporarily during the 1984 Olympic Games. Fleming added that by staggering business hours for companies during that time, “we were able to drive 65 miles per hour during rush hour.”

Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos said one area of concern for officials is duplication in public transportation services on the local and citywide level. “One thing we need to do better is to bring all those players at the table so that we’re using every dollar that is given to public transportation in the most efficient manner.”

Despite the $20 billion earmarked by the California Transportation Commission (CTC) for the state, CTC Commissioner Larry Zarian said California is still 20 to 30 years behind. For him – like Ramos – the problem is a lack of synergy.

“We are not coordinated,” Zarian said. “Who should be in this room today are the 53 members of congress that represent us.”

The success story of the day was the Orange Line, which runs from Warner Center in Woodland Hills to North Hollywood and provides West Valley residents with a more seamless connection to downtown.

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who worked on the project, said that riders are “voting with their feet” – during one day last month, 25,800 passengers boarded the Orange Line.

“You got to have the local leaders who are willing to stick their neck out a little bit and spend the political capital that they accumulate,” he noted.

The MTA board has directed the next segment of the Orange Line to extend from the Warner Center to Chatsworth.

Despite its success, however, bus lines have not been as attractive to policy makers as light rail, which costs $65 million per mile, or subway, which costs $300 million per mile and takes years to complete.

The Orange Line costs $15 million per mile and takes a fraction of the time to complete.

The Summit also featured report findings from the Mulholland Institute on economic development opportunities along the I-5 Corridor – the 30-mile stretch of freeway from route 126 in the north, through Santa Clarita, Burbank, and into the northern downtown area.

Officials also discussed urban revitalization plans for the neglected Sun Valley region, with hopes of reforming it into the Silicon Valley of the south by housing biotech companies.