Limitations on new and remodeled single-family dwellings in Beverly Grove were approved unanimously Friday by the City Council, the most restrictive "anti-McMansion" rules yet adopted in Los Angeles.
The ordinance would put a Residential Floor Area (RFA) District over approximately 700 homes in a 5-street Mid City neighborhood between San Vicente Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue north of Wilshire Boulevard. This would be the second RFA District approved in the city following the February 2012 approval of a RFA District in Studio City.
The Beverly Grove RFA will limit the maximum residential floor area ratio (FAR) contained in all residential buildings and accessory buildings to 42 percent, with various bonuses that could bring the FAR up to 50%. For example, a home on a 6,000-square-foot lot would be limited to 3,000 square feet, with bonuses. The Beverly Grove RFA sets both a lower base FAR and a lower maximum allowable FAR than is currently allowed citywide.
Several local homeowner groups have pushed for the RFA District, saying that recently built homes are out of character with the 90-year-old neighborhood.
"These out-of-scale homes ... completely change the character of these neighborhoods," Councilman Paul Koretz said, who represents the area, said before today's vote.
The ordinance will take affect in only 5-8 weeks, depending upon when Mayor Eric Garcetti signs it into law. The timeline is aggressive because the ordinance was fast-tracked earlier this month by the council's Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee, which voted to recommend the new regulations with an urgency clause at the request of Koretz.
Not everyone in Beverly Grove supports the RFA District. At the PLUM committee meeting last month, opponents submitted petitions signed by 359 people identified as property owners in the neighborhood who oppose the RFA. Despite the opposition, the PLUM committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of the RFA District to the full City Council.
The new ordinance will affect any construction projects submitted once the new rules take affect. Any current construction projects in the Beverly Grove area with an active application with the Los Angeles Building & Safety Department would not be subject to the ordinance.
In the last several years, similar RFA Districts were proposed for the Brentwood Park, Valley Village and Beverlywood neighborhoods, but those efforts died before making it to the City Council for vote.
LandUseLA.com (previous): 'McMansion' limits for another neighborhood
http://www.landusela.com/1/post/2013/10/mcmansion-limits-for-another-neighborhood.html
City Council file
http://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewrecord&cfnumber=11-1438
City Planning Beverly Grove Residential Floor Area District Study
https://sites.google.com/site/beverlygroverfadistrict/
The ordinance would put a Residential Floor Area (RFA) District over approximately 700 homes in a 5-street Mid City neighborhood between San Vicente Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue north of Wilshire Boulevard. This would be the second RFA District approved in the city following the February 2012 approval of a RFA District in Studio City.
The Beverly Grove RFA will limit the maximum residential floor area ratio (FAR) contained in all residential buildings and accessory buildings to 42 percent, with various bonuses that could bring the FAR up to 50%. For example, a home on a 6,000-square-foot lot would be limited to 3,000 square feet, with bonuses. The Beverly Grove RFA sets both a lower base FAR and a lower maximum allowable FAR than is currently allowed citywide.
Several local homeowner groups have pushed for the RFA District, saying that recently built homes are out of character with the 90-year-old neighborhood.
"These out-of-scale homes ... completely change the character of these neighborhoods," Councilman Paul Koretz said, who represents the area, said before today's vote.
The ordinance will take affect in only 5-8 weeks, depending upon when Mayor Eric Garcetti signs it into law. The timeline is aggressive because the ordinance was fast-tracked earlier this month by the council's Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee, which voted to recommend the new regulations with an urgency clause at the request of Koretz.
Not everyone in Beverly Grove supports the RFA District. At the PLUM committee meeting last month, opponents submitted petitions signed by 359 people identified as property owners in the neighborhood who oppose the RFA. Despite the opposition, the PLUM committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of the RFA District to the full City Council.
The new ordinance will affect any construction projects submitted once the new rules take affect. Any current construction projects in the Beverly Grove area with an active application with the Los Angeles Building & Safety Department would not be subject to the ordinance.
In the last several years, similar RFA Districts were proposed for the Brentwood Park, Valley Village and Beverlywood neighborhoods, but those efforts died before making it to the City Council for vote.
LandUseLA.com (previous): 'McMansion' limits for another neighborhood
http://www.landusela.com/1/post/2013/10/mcmansion-limits-for-another-neighborhood.html
City Council file
http://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewrecord&cfnumber=11-1438
City Planning Beverly Grove Residential Floor Area District Study
https://sites.google.com/site/beverlygroverfadistrict/
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