LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles City Planning Commission today will review the Hollywood Community Plan Update and provide recommendations to the City Council.
According to the commission, the purpose of the plan is to preserve low-density neighborhoods in the Hollywood area, direct anticipated developments to already urbanized portions of the area and identify suitable locations for new development.
But Housing Is A Human Right and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation said they believe the plan will worsen gentrification, housing inaffordability and the homelessness crisis.
“For too many years, L.A. City Hall has bent over backwards to give developers whatever they want and let them decide what our communities look like and who gets housing -- and it's not working,” said Susie Shannon, policy director for Housing Is A Human Right. “In fact, it's fueling gentrification and the housing affordability and homelessness crisis. City leaders must address our homeless crisis by providing city-owned land for homeless housing, mandate a percentage of housing be built for low-income residents and protect the city against predatory developers. Every community plan must have a comprehensive path forward to housing our unhoused and low-income residents.”
According to the commission, the plan's components are to:
-- direct urban growth around public transit and away from hillside
and low-density neighborhoods;
-- reinforce Hollywood's role as a hub of media and entertainment jobs;
-- promote transit-oriented development and create less dependence on
vehicles;
-- establish new lower height limits for buildings around historic
districts;
-- support the Hollywood Central Park over the Hollywood (101) Freeway;
-- protect hillsides from “overdevelopment” and strengthen
development regulations for hillside subdivisions;
-- expand historic preservation districts; and
-- establish urban design guidelines for new Hollywood developments with a focus on pedestrian-friendly character of commercial districts.
Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who represents part of the plan area, said she does not think the plan goes far enough to protect residents in the area.
“Council District 4 is committed to advancing tenant protections and expanding affordable housing in Los Angeles, and we believe there are several areas within this plan that can be strengthened to ensure equitable and affordable development in Hollywood,” she said Wednesday.
Raman wants the plan to:
-- develop a more robust set of anti-displacement tools for Hollywood
residents;
-- increase public input on hotel projects;
-- require conditional use permits appealable to the City Council;
-- restrict the conversion and demolition of housing for the
development of hotels;
-- create more ambitious affordable housing percentages within
incentive programs that allow for increased density;
-- increase height limits for projects that demonstrate commitments to
affordable housing; and
-- go further to preserve the ecosystem in the Santa Monica Mountains.
“We understand that this will not be the last opportunity to contribute to the Hollywood Community Plan Update, and we will continue to work with the Department of City Planning and other associated departments to incorporate comments from the City Planning Commission and the public in the coming weeks,” Raman said Wednesday.
The City Planning Commission will review the project at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. The meeting can be accessed at https://planning-lacity-org.zoom.us/j/85149236970 with passcode 122601.