As expected, the City Council’s Plum Committee at a special meeting Wednesday unanimously approved without changes three controversial ordinances that will effect development in more than 40% of the city's residentially zoned neighborhoods: R1 Variations, Bel-Air Hillside Construction Development limitations, and the BHO/BMO revisions.
 
The first two ordinances (R1 Variations and Bel-Air development) will go to the City Attorney’s Office to be converted into final, draft ordinances. They will return to the PLUM committee later this spring.
 
The third ordinance (BHO/BMO updates) was passed and can go to the City Council for a final vote. But it looks like – as predicted here – the council is going to sit on the BHO/BMO updates until the R1 Variations and Bel-Air development ordinances come back from the City Attorney’s Office for PLUM vote. That's because PLUM chairman Jose Huizar asked - as the committee was voting on the BHO/BMO proposal - when the ordinance would be with the full council, and staff said that “they” have asked that the BHO/BMO update not be voted on by the council until the other ordinances “can be packaged” with it (no explanation of who “they” is: City Attorney’s office? Fellow council members?). Huizar said that was fine by him, asked if any of the committee members objected, and when no one did, the voted unanimously to recommend approval.
 
So that means the City Attorney’s Office needs to produce the R1 Variations and Bel-Air development ordinances quickly and it is highly likely that the whole package will be approved and enacted right before the March 25 deadline.

Why is March 25 so important? Because that's when 15 Interim Control Ordinances (ICOs) around the city expire, and if these new rules aren't in place before the ICOs expire, the rules in those 15 areas revert back to 'standard' zoning which could mean an outbreak of so-called McMansions.

Those weren't the only controversial items addressed during the 3+ hour-long meeting Wednesday.
 
The committee voted to approve Rick Caruso’s controversial project at 333 La Cienega after Councilman Paul Koretz arrived to announce that they struck a deal to reduce its height from 240 feet to 185 feet and increase the amount of money Caruso is giving to community groups and increase the amount of affordable housing units in the now-16-story mixed-use project. The full council is expected to vote on the project next week.

The committee voted to approve the Sunset Square Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, despite numerous protests against the inclusion of several blocks west of Fairfax and south of Hollywood Blvd. The motion goes to the City Attorney’s Office for it to write the final draft ordinance.

Bel-Air residents are expected to show-up en masse this afternoon when the City Council's land-use committee votes on whether the city should establish a special district in their neighborhood that would limit the size of new or remodeled homes and limit the amount of related construction activity.

The Hillside Construction Regulation Area, if passed, would establish hauling operation standards, construction activity standards, grading limits and require additional discretionary review for homes with an area of 20,000 square feet or greater.

The proposed ordinance - which must still be feted by the City Attorney's Office and approved by the City Council and Mayor before it can become city law - was proposed in response to a significant uptick in large-scale development in Bel-Air in the last few years. For example, from 2011 to 2015, approximately 18 building permits were issued for new SFDs with 20,000 square feet or greater of residential floor area, according to the City Planning Department. During that same time, more than 800 hauling permits were issued for projects in Bel-Air that cumulatively hauled more than 800,000 cubic yards of dirt.

The Bel-Air Alliance formed in May 2014 to protest the number, size and scope of projects in the community. They have been calling on City Hall - and Councilman Paul Koretz, specifically, who's council district includes Bel-Air - to enact rules that would limit the size and impact of projects. The HCRA is the first major legislative response.

The City Council's PLUM committee meeting today starts at 3:30 p.m. Here is the agenda; here is the draft HCRA.

City officials hope to have most construction projects in Hollywood back on track in about a month although the largest and most high profile projects will probably have to wait longer or modify their proposal,  according to officials who spoke with LandUseLA.com

As previously reported by LandUseLA.com and Curbed LA, projects in the Hollywood Community Plan area were temporarily frozen earlier this month when a Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a ruling that said the update of that community plan was "fundamentally flawed" and no more permits could be issued that relied upon the community plan for its justification. After several days in which all Hollywood-area projects were stopped, the Planning Department issued a new policy that provided a pathway for most construction projects to move forward.

Still, at least 30 projects remained in limbo because their entitlements relied upon the community plan, according to a review of online records by LandUseLA.com.

Last week, the City Council instructed the Planning Department to return within a month with a timeline and expected cost for fixing the Hollywood Community Plan Update. The council also expects the department to return with an ordinance that will revive the old Hollywood Community Plan while the update is being repaired.

If the City Council revives the old community plan, many of the 30-plus entitlement cases currently in limbo could restart. However, any projects that rely upon the updated community plan would have to either redesign the project  to meet the old community plan, recast the legal justifications based upon the old community plan, or wait for the update to be repaired and enacted and then determine whether the project still meshes with the community plan.

ALSO: LandUseLA.com on the radio
LandUseLA.com publisher Chris Parker was on WhichWayLA? yesterday, discussing the Hollywood injunction. You can listen to the interview here: WhichWayLA?

Scores and scores of projects in the Hollywood Community Plan area will require an extra level of review and more than two dozen Hollywood projects are on hold indefinitely thanks to a policy enacted this morning by the Los Angeles Planning Department.

The department's new policy - dubbed the Hollywood Community Plan Update Injunction Clearance - is in response to a Feb. 11 ruling issued by the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The court determined that the department's Hollywood Community Plan Update was "fundamentally flawed" when it was approved in June 2012. Because the Hollywood growth plan is void, the city is prohibited from granting any "authority, permits or entitlements which derive from the HCPU or its EIR (Environmental Impact Report)," the court said.

A temporary - and unannounced - hold was placed last week on all projects in the Hollywood area by the Planning and Building & Safety departments until the Planning Department could issue a response to the court ruling. The response was issued this morning as Zoning Information File No. 2433, a 4-page memo with instructions on what projects could still move forward and which type of projects would be put on hold indefinitely.

The good news for property owners in Hollywood is that many projects will be able to move forward, albeit with an extra level of review.

But according to ZI-2433, any project that has an entitlement request which rely on the HCPU or its EIR are now on hold until the City Council passes legislation that addresses the court's concerns. The council voted Tuesday to instruct the Planning Department to return within 30 days with a timeline and cost.

In the meantime, dozens of projects that were filed with the Planning Department are on hold. That's because those projects include entitlement requests such as Zone Changes, Zone Variances or other deviations from the Zone Code that can no longer be decided by the department because the community plan for the Hollywood area is void.

A LandUseLA.com review of the department's online records has found 28 cases that are now on hold which were filed with the Planning Department's Office of Zoning Administration between Aug. 11, 2013 and Feb. 8, 2014. The projects include everything from minor entitlement requests such as yard deviations to major projects such as hotels and mixed-use projects. It is safe to assume there are additional projects filed prior to August 2013 that didn't receive entitlement relief by Tuesday and are now on hold. 

One of the more interesting entitlement cases that is now ensnared in this injunction hold is a request from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to add 7 new mausoleums and/or wall crypt structures. In October, the cemetery submitted a request for a Zone Variance and Zoning Administrator's Adjustment, among other entitlements, to be able to build the new mausoleums.

As mentioned previously, the majority of projects in Hollywood will be able to move forward once they receive approval from city planners assigned to the HCPU Injunction Clearance process. According to ZI-2433, building permit requests in the Hollywood area will be reviewed and approved if they: don't require a Planning entitlement (i.e. - "by right"); only need ministerial clearances tied to previously issued building permits; or require discretionary approvals under one of the special districts in the Hollywood area as long as those approvals don't require an amendment and/or exception.

All of this stems from appeals filed by Hollywood-area homeowners groups against the city's June 2012 approval of the Hollywood Community Plan Update. The groups objected to the plan, saying it was based upon false growth assumptions and didn't adequately address infrastructure issues for the population growth that the community plan allowed.

A tentative ruling was issued in December but it wasn't until last week that the written Superior Court determination was issued, requiring the city to stop issuing permits based upon the updated Hollywood plan.

How long will this injunction last? It's unknown. But the City Council instructed the Planning Department to return in a month with a plan and cost for fixing the Hollywood Community Plan, not to return with the actual fix itself. Once the department gets council approval on the timeline and cost, it would presumably take several months of department work and then public hearings until the City Council can vote on the updated Hollywood Community Plan Update.

In the meantime, dozens of projects currently in the pipeline plus countless more that will be filed this year, will be on hold.

ZI No. 2433: Hollywood Community Plan Update Injunction Clearance Instructions
http://zimas.lacity.org/documents/zoneinfo/ZI2433.pdf

Curbed LA: NIMBYs Put Indefinite Stop to All Building Permits in Hollywood
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/02/nimbys_put_indefinite_stop_to_all_building_permits_in_hollywood.php

City Council motion: Instructions to Planning Department re Hollywood Community Plan Update
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2012/12-0303-S3_CA_02-18-14.pdf

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Request for 7 New Mausoleums:
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=193758&caseNumber=CPC-2013-3262-PUB-ZV-ZAA-SPR&fuseaction=case.summary

LA Times: Judge Deals Major Blow to Hollywood Growth Plan
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-judge-hollywood-growth-plan-20131211,0,7703380.story#axzz2tnkOGC7X

Starbucks, the world's largest coffee specialist, is aggressively expanding in Los Angeles in the one area it has yet to conquer: your car.

The Seattle-based company's green-trimmed stores are found in every corner of Los Angeles. But in the last six months, Starbucks has rolled out plans for a half-dozen new stores that are car-centric and devoid of the leather chairs, wood paneling and hipster music so common in its traditional shops.

Drive-through restaurants are more complicated projects in the city than a traditional walk-in coffee store since they require discretionary Conditional Use Permits and may have additional requirements such as Site Plan Reviews, Specific Plan compliance requirements and/or deviations from the Zoning Code. And of course, that assumes that an applicant can find a suitable location for a drive-through restaurant. There aren't a lot of failing drive-through restaurants in Los Angeles to be taken over or vacant commercial land.

Probably the most interesting of Starbucks' current projects is a proposal to convert the Gilmore Gasoline Service Station at the southwest corner of Highland and Willoughby avenues. The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council's Land Use Committee last week heard the proposal, which is still in draft form and has yet to be formally submitted to the city.

The gas station was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1992 by the city but has sat vacant for more than 20 years. Starbucks' current plan is to retain most of the building's unique architecture while also providing drive-through and walk-up service (draft elevation provided by GWNC LUC).

Greg Wittmann, secretary of the GWNC LUC, told LandUseLA.com that his committee "was receptive to the idea of a drive-through Starbucks because the Gilmore Gas Station is a designated historic structure in serious disrepair which has sat vacant for 25 years."

The committee did have two areas of concern, asking Starbucks' architect to consider using the alley behind the parcel for automobile access instead of Willoughby and to improve the visibility of pedestrian access from Highland.  Architect Elizabeth Valerio told the committee that her firm still needs to meet with city officials, including the Planning Department's Office of Historic Resources.

Starbucks submitted applications in the last several months with the Planning Department for drive-through outlets in San Pedro, Northeast Los Angeles, Granada Hills and Valley Village.  The San Pedro location was approved in September and the Northeast LA location was OK'd in August. The Granada Hills application has a public hearing set for next Tuesday (Nov. 5).

A case was filed in August for a drive-through restaurant in Valley Village* at the southwest corner of Burbank and Laurel Canyon boulevards. The original application requested an exception from the Valley Village Specific Plan to allow a drive-through restaurant. But the case was terminated earlier this month because Starbucks would need to amend the specific plan to allow for drive-through restaurants, according to the Planning Department. An amendment is a much more expensive and time-consuming application than the exception and much less frequently approved.

The termination of the Valley Village project speaks to the difficulties a company like Starbucks faces as it tries to expand its drive-through operations in more neighborhoods throughout the city. Large portions of south Los Angeles are under an Interim Control Ordinance that prohibits new fast-food restaurants to be permitted, and other specific plans in Los Angeles also prevent or severely limit fast-food and/or drive-through restaurants.

Starbucks has nine drive-through outlets in the Valley already, plus single outlets in Venice, Arlington Heights and South Los Angeles. If the Gilmore gas station site is approved, it'll be the first Starbucks drive-through between the 405 and downtown Los Angeles that is north of Washington.

Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee Agenda
http://www.greaterwilshire.org/site/?q=node/547

Gilmore Gasoline Service Station Historic-Cultural Designation (#508)
http://cityplanning.lacity.org/complan/HCM/dsp_hcm_result.cfm?community=Hollywood

Approval Letter for Proposed San Pedro Drive-Through Starbucks (1690 W. Lomita Blvd.)
http://pdis.lacity.org/pdf/viewPDF.aspx?Query=;Doc=200A9

Approval Letter for Proposed Northeast LA Drive-Through Starbucks (6240 E. York Blvd.)
http://pdis.lacity.org/pdf/viewPDF.aspx?Query=;Doc=20083

CUP for Proposed Granada Hills Drive-Through Starbucks (17901 Chatsworth Blvd.)
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=192731&caseNumber=ZA-2013-2389-CU&fuseaction=case.summary

Terminated Valley Village Drive-Through Starbucks (12106 Burbank Blvd.)
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=192834&caseNumber=APCSV-2013-2476-SPE-SPP-ZV-CU&fuseaction=case.summary

* DISCLOSURE: My firm, Pacific Crest Consultants, was one of several firms asked to provide a contract proposal to provide entitlement services for the Valley Village project prior to the case submittal. We were not selected.

The City Council rescheduled today's vote on the anti-McMansion ordinance for the Beverly Grove area to Friday's council meeting.

The item was originally scheduled to be voted on today. But the council agreed unanimously without discussion to delay the vote three days.

If approved, 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 ordinance was fast-tracked last week by the council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee, which voted to recommend the new regulations with an urgency clause at the request of Councilman Paul Koretz, whose 5th District includes Beverly Grove. If the City Council votes Friday to approve the ordinance, it could take affect in about 5-8 weeks later depending upon how quickly Mayor Eric Garcetti signs it.

LandUseLA.com: 'McMansion' limits for another neighborhood
http://www.landusela.com/1/post/2013/10/mcmansion-limits-for-another-neighborhood.html

The City of Los Angeles is poised to approve its second neighborhood-specific set of restrictions on the size of single-family homes, this time to limit "McMansions" in the Beverly Grove area.

The City Council will vote Tuesday on an ordinance that 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.

If enacted, the Beverly Grove RFA would limit the maximum residential floor area ratio (FAR) contained in all
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 Beverly Grove McMansions are out-of-character, out-of-scale, and deprive neighboring houses of privacy, air and sunlight," wrote the Beverly Wilshire Homes Association in its support letter for the ordinance.

But not everyone in Beverly Grove supports the RFA District. At the City Council's Planning & Land Use (PLUM) Committee 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.

Councilman Paul Koretz, who represents the area, requested that the PLUM Committee recommend an urgency clause for the Beverly Grove RFA, which the committee did citing an urgent need for the new regulations. That urgency clause has pushed the Beverly Grove RFA District on a fast tract toward approval. If the City Council votes Tuesday to approve the ordinance, it could take affect in about 5-8 weeks later depending upon how quickly Mayor Eric Garcetti signs it.

By contrast, the Baseline Hillside Ordinance (which set development limits on the city's Hillside neighborhoods) was approved by the PLUM Committee in August 2010 without an urgency clause. It wasn't enacted for 8 months.

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the Beverly Grove RFA on Tuesday during its regularly scheduled meeting, which starts at 10 a.m. at City Hall.

City Council file
http://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewrecord&cfnumber=11-1438

PLUM Report
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2011/11-1438_rpt_plum_9-17-13.PDF

359 petitions submitted opposing the RFA District
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2011/11-1438_pc_09-17-2013.pdf

Beverly-Wilshire Homes Association support
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2011/11-1438_pc_9-17-13.pdf

Beverly Grove Alliance support
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2011/11-1438_pc_9-12-13.pdf

Studio City Residential Floor Area District Ordinance
http://planning.lacity.org/Code_Studies/Misc/ResidentialFloorPlan.pdf

The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission will decide Thursday whether Johnie's Coffee Shop is worth being considered a Historic-Cultural Monument.

Planning Department's Office of Historic Resources thinks the 57-year-old restaurant deserves the consideration and if the commission agrees on Thursday, the OHR staff will move forward on the proposal.

Built in 1956 and located at the northwest corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, the one-story restaurant exhibits "character-defining" features of Googie-style architecture, according to the staff report.

Johnie's (originally "Romeo's") opened in 1956. It was designed by Armet & Davis, the architectural firm that was "extremely influential" in the development of the Googie style and the California Coffee Shop. Beginning with their first coffee shop design in 1951, Armet & Davis designed several notable Googie coffee shops for chains such as Norm’s, Pann’s, Ship’s, as well as Denny’s and Big Boy.

Johnie's closed in 2000 but has been the setting for countless movies and TV shows, probably most notably The Big Lebowski and American History X. The coffee shop is owned by the company that owns the neighboring 99-Cent store, which uses it as an overflow parking lot.

The Cultural Heritage Commission has approved several restaurants and several Googie-style structures for Cultural-Heritage designation. It is scheduled to vote on the proposal Thursday. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Room 1010.

The designation is being sought by the LA Conservancy. Johnie's still needs several rounds of hearings and approvals (including ultimately City Council approval) before it can achieve the Historic-Cultural Monument designation.

Los Angeles Planning Department Case Tracking:
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=191704&caseNumber=CHC-2013-1538-HCM&fuseaction=case.summary

Office of Historic Resources staff report.

LA Conservancy "Important Issues" website: Johnie's Coffee Shop:
https://www.laconservancy.org/issues/johnies-coffee-shop

Wikipedia entry on Johnie's Coffee Shop:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnie%27s_Coffee_Shop