Beverly Hills backs homeowners suing L.A., Fox in tract-map flap.After threatening, and then failing, to file a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles
In modern property law, individual ownership of one dwelling unit within a multidwelling building. Unit owners have undivided ownership interest in the land and those portions of the building shared in common. development on 20th Century Fox's studio lot, the Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. City Council last week decided to join forces with Westside homeowners and support their case against Fox and Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . The Beverly Hills City Council voted July 14 to file an "amicus curiae amicus curiae (Latin: “friend of the court”) One who assists a court by furnishing information or advice regarding questions of law or fact. A person (or other entity, such as a state government) who is not a party to a particular lawsuit but nevertheless has a " or "friend of the court" brief in the suit filed July 6 by the California Country Club Homes Association, the Cheviot Hills Cheviot Hills (chĕv`ēət, chēv`–), range, c.35 mi (56 km) long, extending along part of the border between Scotland and England. The highest point is The Cheviot (2,676 ft/816 m). Homeowners Association and the Friends of Westwood against the City of Los Angeles and Fox. The homeowners' lawsuit challenges an April decision by the L.A. Planning Department to extend for two more years a 10-year-old tract map for development of a 2,135-unit condominium complex on the 54-acre lot. Fox actually wants to expand its facilities by 771,000 square feet of development and have the property rezoned for studio uses. But should the expansion plan fail to gain city hall approval as requested, Fox officials say the company will sell the land for condo development and move the studio elsewhere. Lawyers for the homeowners and the City of Beverly Hills say the law requires that the City of Los Angeles conduct an environmental impact review and hold a public hearing before extending tract map approval, neither of which was done in the Fox case. Fox consultant Helen McCann said the tract map extension will serve only to save time and money for a condo developer in the future, if Fox's expansion plan is rejected. She noted construction of any condos still requires a "site plan review" process, regardless of the outcome of the tract map dispute. However, Beverly Hills City Attorney Greg Stepanicich and the homeowners' attorney say the City of Los Angeles would have more flexibility in attaching restrictions to condo development if the tract map extension approval were tied to a public hearing and review. Stepanicich released a statement saying that "since the outcome of this case could adversely affect the interests of the residents of the City of Beverly Hills," the city will file an amicus brief "in support of the homeowners' contention" that the tract map extension was improper
He added that this would be the first court decision regarding the law that allowed for the extension, indicating that the case could set an important precedent. This lawsuit is only one in a series of disputes between Fox and neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. homeowners over the development of the studio lot. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion