From Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz
After eight years of hard work, the Ridgeline Protection Ordinance, authored by Councilmember Koretz, is finally moving through the City process.
On June 17th, City Planning held a public hearing on the proposed Ridgeline Protection Ordinance (Case No. CPC-2021-3001-CA) and proposed Zone Change Ordinance (Case No. CPC-2021-3059-ZC) to apply the Ridgeline Protection regulations.
My staff has been meeting with, as well as reading and listening closely to the comments of homeowners, and agree that while we need to stop the exploitation of our hillsides, the current ordinance may be too restrictive when it comes to long established communities on ridgelines. The intent of the motion was never to render entire communities legal non-conforming or to prohibit modest additions to an existing home. I assure you that the draft ordinance as written will be amended by the Department of City Planning to strike a regulatory balance.
I also want to clarify that we are in the beginning of the long process outlined in LAMC 12.32, and the end of the comment period is only one of many opportunities to participate. The Department of City Planning’s close of the comment period is for the preparation of a staff report for the City Planning Commission. Comments will still be accepted after the comment deadline and added to the official case file; however, those comments will not necessarily be included in the report to the Commission. The purpose of the staff report and Commission meeting is so the Commission can make a recommendation to the City Council Committee. The Planning and Land Use Management Committee will then hold an additional hearing and make a recommendation to City Council. When the committee recommendation finally reaches the full City Council, I will lead that discussion at the City Council with your guidance in mind.
To that end, as requested by my office, the comment period for the preparation of City Planning’s staff report for a yet to be determined City Planning Commission date, has been extended to Monday, August 2, 2021. Therefore, please continue to submit comments and questions to the City Planning Department at planning.ridgelines@lacity.org and my Senior Planning Deputy at daniel.skolnick@lacity.org
Hillside residents in particular, we want to hear from you!
