APARTMENT PLANNER TRYING TO BUILD CASE.Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer A requirement that a Warner Center developer offer below-market rentals as part of a traffic-reduction strategy has touched off a debate that could test the limits of Los Angeles' affordable-housing campaign. Proposed more than two years ago, Ronald Simms' plan would bulldoze bull·doze v. bull·dozed, bull·doz·ing, bull·dozes v.tr. 1. To clear, dig up, or move with a bulldozer. 2. To treat in an abusive manner; bully. 3. the longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective Valley Indoor Swap Meet swap meet n. An informal gathering for the barter or sale of used articles or handicrafts. and replace it with a 438-unit apartment complex. But his project stalled as city leaders grappled with a building boom in Warner Center that led to tough restrictions on apartment and condo construction. Residential developers in Warner Center are now required to offer 25 percent of their units as affordable to secretaries, mall employees, Starbucks managers and other middle-income residents who work within a three-mile radius. The goal, city officials say, is to encourage workers to live within walking distance of their jobs. But Simms said that requirement, which would force him to rent 109 units at below-market rates, is expensive, unfair and could be illegal because the city cannot demonstrate that offering "affordable" rents will reduce traffic congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. . "It is economically unrealistic and I'm upset that it's being imposed on me in the guise of traffic mitigation," Simms told the City Council's Planning and Land Use Committee during a hearing Tuesday. Simms is appealing the requirement, as well as a $1 million traffic fee imposed on his proposed five-story project at 6701 Variel Ave. Councilman Dennis Zine, who represents the area, said he's prepared to fight for the affordable-housing requirement. "If (the developer) prevails, I'll come back with an ordinance A law, statute, or regulation enacted by a Municipal Corporation. An ordinance is a law passed by a municipal government. A municipality, such as a city, town, village, or borough, is a political subdivision of a state within which a municipal corporation has been that says no more development," he said. Developers in Warner Center and other communities are watching the case closely to see whether the affordable-housing requirement -- one of two in the city -- will survive a full City Council vote April 10 and an expected court challenge. Located in the far southwest corner of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , Warner Center is a mix of office towers, industrial businesses, malls and pricey Pricey Term used for an unrealistically low bid price or unrealistically high offer price. pricey Of, relating to, or being an unrealistically high offer. An offer to sell a security at $50 when the current market price is $47 is pricey. residential complexes. The Warner Center Specific Plan, which was adopted in 1993, encouraged a dense community with both jobs and homes. Residential developers were exempt from transportation fees and given other construction waivers. The plan envisioned 3,000 additional living units by 2010 -- a number that was reached in 2005 because of a surge in construction. Neighbors complained that the boom would ruin the employment-housing balance and inundate in·un·date tr.v. in·un·dat·ed, in·un·dat·ing, in·un·dates 1. To cover with water, especially floodwaters. 2. the center with traffic. Zine proposed a moratorium A suspension of activity or an authorized period of delay or waiting. A moratorium is sometimes agreed upon by the interested parties, or it may be authorized or imposed by operation of law. on new apartments and condos, but the Planning Department and City Attorney's Office persuaded him to compromise and allow a project-by-project review of residential complexes. Under a law passed in December 2005, residential projects would pay traffic-impact fees and be required to set aside 25 percent of units as so- called work-force housing. The housing would be made available to people who earn 120 percent or less of the county's median family income. That's roughly $58,000 for a single person and $83,000 for a family of four. The allowable rent would be about $1,463 for a one-bedroom unit and $1,647 for a two-bedroom unit. But Simms argues that the requirement is not about cutting traffic, but rather is a city mandate to create affordable housing. In a filing with the city, Simms argued that his project would replace the popular Valley Indoor Swap Meet, which on a typical weekend day draws more than 700 vehicles to the site, with "spillover spill·o·ver n. 1. The act or an instance of spilling over. 2. An amount or quantity spilled over. 3. A side effect arising from or as if from an unpredicted source: " parking taking up all the spaces on nearby streets. And he notes that the requirement allows that if the units are not leased by local workers after four months, the owner can still rent them to people who work outside the area. He also argues that many families considered to be work-force households still would make too much to qualify for housing under the city's specified income limits. "What comes in as a traffic-mitigation measure is really subterfuge sub·ter·fuge n. A deceptive stratagem or device: "the paltry subterfuge of an anonymous signature" Robert Smith Surtees. ," Reznik said. "It's an inclusionary, affordable-housing condition that this City Council has previously rejected and been unable to adopt citywide." kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com (213) 978-0390 CAPTION(S): photo, map Photo: The Valley Indoor Swap Meet, which is open on weekends in two big buildings at Variel Avenue and Kittridge Street in Warner Center, could be replaced by high-rent apartments. Michael Owen
Map: Proposed 438-unit residential project (7.6 acres) |
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