Mansionization Alert for LA’s City Council: Renew the ICOs and Amend the BMO

VOICES-Having attended recent PLUM and City Council meetings related to fixing the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance (BMO) and enacting Interim Control Ordinances (ICOs), I write to address some comments regarding the needs of the modern American family, the lack of affordable housing in Los Angeles, and related matters - as I care deeply about these issues, too. 

Decimated neighborhoods across the city show that MANSIONIZATION IS A PROBLEM, not a solution. 

MANSIONIZATION DOES NOT ADD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, IT DESTROYS IT. 

Many older homes could be renovated or expanded and still be in the price range of young families. But speculators buy them for land value as “teardowns” and then throw up ostentatious villas that price all but the most affluent out of the housing market. 

MANSIONIZATION IS NOT A VIABLE MECHANISM TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE MODERN AMERICAN FAMILY.

Typical mansionizers are not long-time residents who want to add a second floor or extra room in order to bring home their children or parents (which an amended BMO would of course allow). They are predatory speculators who engage in a continuous cycle of BUY / BULLDOZE / BUILD / SELL / FLIP / MOVE ON. 

MANSIONIZATION ERODES THE FABRIC OF NEIGHBORHOODS.

It is especially damaging to the family-oriented neighborhoods and working class communities that our Councilmembers have championed and served for many years. While the media has spotlighted mansionization in affluent areas, the most troublesome effects of mansionization are being seen in socio-economically diverse, more affordable and livable neighborhoods, which greedy developers are using like ATM machines. 

MANSIONIZATION IS DESTRUCTIVE TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND TAXING ON OUR RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE.

Think of the enormous carbon footprint associated with building and living in such behemoth structures; the gas, water and electricity needed to maintain these super-sized homes and pools; and the thousands of demolished homes now buried in landfills. 

MANSIONIZATION VIOLATES COMMUNITY.

McMansions tower over adjacent homes; block neighbors’ air and sunlight; ruin their privacy; lower the appeal of adjacent properties; and destroy the scale and character of longstanding, affordable, livable neighborhoods.  Regulating mansionization puts the community above special interests.  

MANSIONIZATION FLIES IN THE FACE OF LOS ANGELES’ OFFICIAL, LEGALLY ADOPTED PLANNING POLICIES.

One of the core objectives outlined in the City Planning Commission’s Do Real Planning policy document (http://cityplanning.lacity.org/forms_Procedures/do-real-planning-final_1.pdf) is this: “NEUTRALIZE MANSIONIZATION: Neighborhoods zoned single family deserve our protection. 

The most pervasive threat they face is the replacement of existing homes with residences whose bulk and mass is significantly larger than the street’s current character— sacrificing greenery, breathing room, light, and air.” 

Years of protests, petitions, Historical Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) and Residential Floor Area District (RFA) requests, and thousands of calls and emails to Council offices make it eminently clear that residents citywide want mansionization to stop. What might not be as clear: we oppose mansionization but enthusiastically support responsible development compatible with the scale and character of existing neighborhoods. 

A reasonably framed mansionization ordinance can stop out-of-scale development; still allow spacious, affordable homes that easily accommodate modern families; and nurture the residential communities that are critically important to the vitality and future of this great city. 

Councilmember Paul Koretz’s original motion to amend the BMO is spot on.  It deserves the City Council’s full support and prompt adoption. 

Lobbyists hope that they can drown out the voices of the people, or that developers’ money might cloud Councilmembers’ judgment, but you know the right things to do: 

1) Renew both ICOs for the full two-year term allowed by State law, and

2) Amend the BMO as quickly as possible. 

Vision and leadership on this issue could positively define the legacy of this City Council, and we stand ready to support you in any way we can. 

(Traci Considine lives in the Faircrest Heights neighborhood in Council District 10.  For more information see No More McMansions In Los Angeles)

-cw

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 13 Issue 34

Pub: Apr 24, 2015