WE NEED YOUR HELP TO
SAVE
THE ARTS DISTRICT!
Instructions:
Below is a letter letter template for you to submit to the City Planning Commission. These folks are the first on the path to approval. Feel free to modify and make your own.
The timing of this is critical as the hearing is on 8/13/15 at 8:30am We need all letters back to us by Monday evening as we have a 48 hrs advance submittal requirement. The City Planning Commission has very distinct rules for submissions.
1) Please sign your letter and email it to info@adccla.org or larabadtla@gmail.com .
2) If you are computer challenged, we will be at the Farmers Market on 8/6 and canvassing this weekend.
3) Get 5 friends to sign one!
AND that’s it!!
Thank you in advance! With your help we can save the Arts District together!
This is a joint project of ADCCLA -Arts District Community Council, HCNC-Historical Cultural Neighborhood Council & LARABA-Los Angeles River Artists & Business Association
(Copy and paste into a word or like type document. Print, sign [please make it legible!] and email!)
From: _________________________________
City Planning Commission
200 N. Spring Street, Room 272
Los Angeles, California, 90012
RE: Planning Department’s Proposal of a Hybrid Industrial Zone
Dear Members of the Planning Commission,
It is my understanding that the Planning Department (PD) will come before the Planning Commission for a hearing on August 13th to discuss a new zoning proposal. It is further my understanding that the Planning Department will introduce a new Hybrid Industrial (HI)-Zone in its presentation. I find this extremely troubling. As you may or may not be aware, Arts District Leadership commissioned an Arts District Land Use Ordinance. The document was professionally crafted incorporating Arts District stakeholder input. This was submitted to the Planning Department In March of 2015. The community’s proposal was completely and utterly ignored.
The PD’s new HI-Zone proposal retains most of the problematic elements that existed in the Planning Department’s initial draft, dated to July 2014. The PD began the process by publicly stating that they were embarking on creating a local (geographically defined) ordinance. We agree. The Arts District is a unique neighborhood that requires a unique set of Land use solutions.
To our surprise, the Planning Department completely reversed course. Instead of proposing an Arts District solution, they are now proposing a new city wide HI-Zone. This approach ignores the Planning Department‘s promise to Arts District stakeholders both in letter and spirit. Their new draft is a result of back room negotiations designed to ignore the will and best interests of the community and to completely circumvent it to serve the narrow interests of a small group of developers. These developers invested heavily on highly speculative real estate investments in the Arts District and now wish to change the rules so they may maximize profits. Their narrow interest directly contradicts that of the community, of public good and best practices.
The developers are promising “fitting” their building to the neighborhood. But the HI Zone will in fact allow them to build type III & type V apartments. These types of buildings will harm the availability of productive and creative space, will impact the neighborhood character, ignore existing rules and destroy the unique nature of our community which is the prime reason these developers were attracted to this area in the first place.
Our proposal had input from a broad range of community stake holders; both individuals and organizations. These include property owners, residents, business owners, local and experienced real estate developers, artists, architects and planners, the Historic Cultural Neighborhood Council (HCNC), Arts District Community Council (ADCCLA), and Los Angeles River Artists & Business Association (LARABA). The result is a consensus that reflects the will of the many diverse members of the neighborhood and a proposal that does not ask to stop development. In fact, our proposal encourages development. We are simply asking that such development be thoughtful, respect and adhere to the unique nature of our community.
I am asking this body to compel the Planning Department to explain the rationale behind dismissing our proposal. I would like a line by line justification for ignoring the will of the public and choosing instead the wants of a self-selected, small group of developers.
Further, I am committed to rejecting the HI-Zone and fighting its implementation in the Arts District. I ask that you send the Planning Department’s proposal back to the drawing board, compel them to properly review the community drafted Arts District Ordinance and work with the Arts District leadership without the influence of self-interested developers.
Sincerely,
Name: _____________________________
Signature: _____________________________
Date: _____________________________
Email: _____________________________
