BACKTALK - The purpose of the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance was to implement the City's legally adopted anti-mansionization policies.
But, the ordinance was gutted by last minute amendments and bonuses then opposed by the President of the City Planning Commission and Director of City Planning. (These comments are in response to CityWatcharticle by Charles Tarlow, “Warning: Your Property Rights and Your Property Values are at Risk”)
As now demonstrated throughout the entire city, the so-called anti-mansionization ordinance has simply allowed the very same McMansions to be constructed as before.
When presented with these facts, outgoing City Planning Commission President Bill Roschen, a supporter of the original ordinance, realized that the ordinance had failed. He logically concluded that it needed to be amended in order to meet its intended purpose: implementing the anti-mansionization policies adopted by the City Planning Commission and City Council.
The amended Baseline Mansionization Ordinance, as I suggested, would still allow extremely large houses, however, because is specifically permits finished basements.
Furthermore, the mansionizers and their supporters could always request an RFA overlay zone to still build McMansions. They are quite experienced at opposing them, so it should be a slam dunk for them to use the RFA option to continue bulldozing older houses, and then building and flipping suburban-style tract houses on the scraped lots.
(Dick Platkin is a city planner who serves on the board of the Beverly Wilshire Homes Association. Past articles on mansionization and other local planning topics are available at www.plan-itlosangeles.blogspot.com. Please send any questions or comments to [email protected]. )
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 11 Issue 75
Pub: Sept 17, 2013
