At its monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 13, the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council voted on six land use applications and three sustainability-related measures, and scheduled a couple of events for later this spring.
Land Use
In a consent calendar vote on several land use matters, the board voted to accept the recommendations of its Land Use Committee and take the following positions on these six projects:
- Support the replacement of a single-family dwelling and detached garage at 532 N. Wilton Place with a new three-story duplex at the rear of the property, and a new three-story single family home and accessory dwelling unit at the front of the property.
- Support the replacement of a single-family dwelling at 810 S. Wilton Place with a four-story, 14-unit apartment building with 3 units reserved for Very Low Income tenants
- Oppose an application for the on-site sale of a full line of alcoholic beverages at a new sushi restaurant at 6535 W. Melrose Ave. (in the new mixed-use building at the the NE corner of Melrose and Highland). (During discussions at the Land Use Committee meeting where this application was first discussed, the applicants agreed to seek input from nearby neighbors and then return to the committee for further discussions. It is the committee’s policy in this situation to recommend the GWNC board oppose the application until that further neighborhood input is received and discussed.)
- Oppose an application for the on-site sale of a full line of alcoholic beverages at the Daedo Sikdang restaurant at 4001 W. 6th St. (Representatives for this application were invited to make a presentation to the GWNC’s Land Use Committee, but did not respond to the committee’s invitation. It is the committee’s policy in such situations to recommend that the board oppose the application unless/until such a presentation is made.)
- Oppose an application to allow the sale of beer and wine for both on-site consumption and off-site consumption with take-out food orders at the Ramen Melrose restaurant at 5784 W. Melrose Ave. (At the Land Use Committee meeting where this application was discussed, committee members asked the applicants to the local neighborhood associations for feedback, and then return for further discussion. It is the committee’s policy in this situation to recommend that the GWNC board oppose the application until the further community input is received and discussed.)
- Oppose an application for a zone change and transitional height adjustment to allow the demolition of a single-story retail complex and construction of a 5-story, 74-foot tall commercial/office building at 6101 W. Melrose Ave. (between Seward and June St., just east of the John C. Fremont Branch Library). (In this case, too, the Land Use Committee’s recommendation to oppose the application came after the applicants were asked to seek additional input from the Hancock Park Homeowners Association, but did not return to the GWNC for further discussions after that request.)
[Note: The day after the GWNC meeting, HPHOA President Cindy Chvatal told the Buzz that the developers of the 6101 W. Melrose project did make a presentation to that group in September, as requested by the GWNC Land Use Committee. But when association members expressed concerns about the proposed building’s height and other potentially disruptive features, and requested possible modifications to mitigate those concerns, the applicants did not return to the HPHOA for further discussions as that group had also requested. According to Chvatal, neighbors are concerned mostly about the building’s height, which would tower over adjacent structures including the historic John C. Fremont Branch Library. The project would also feature a roof deck that would overlook residential neighbors’ back yards. In addition, Chvatal said, the building is planned to be space for creative and entertainment industry production offices, which often operate around the clock and would not quiet down in the evenings, as many office buildings do. “It’s all disruptive,” she said. Chvatal said the neighbors would prefer a three-story building, which would be much more in scale with the 1-3 story residential and commercial buildings nearby, as well as within the parameters of the existing zoning. The project is scheduled to be heard by the City Planning Commission on June 9, with the Planning Department’s staff recommendation available at least a week before the meeting. City planner David Woon is the contact person for the case.]
Sustainability
The GWNC board also took votes on three recommendations from its Environmental and Sustainability Committee on Wednesday, agreeing to:
- Hold a webinar on Thursday, June 23, at 7:30 p.m. “exploring avalable tools, resources, and rebates for household items and appliances that reduce impacts on climate change.”
- Submit a Community Impact Statement in support of City Council File 21-1463, “requiring the Climate Emergency Mobilization Office and other city entities to conduct public engagement when developing decarbonizing programs.”
- Submit a community Impace Statement in support of City Council File 22-0151, supporting the investigation of a plan for making sure new buildings in the city are carbon neutral (e.g. use electricity for heat and cooking, incorporate solar power, etc.)
Other News and Business
In other notable news at Wednesday’s meeting:
- Rob Fisher, the City Council District 5 field deputy for much of the Greater Wilshire are,a announced he will be leaving CD 5 to take a new position as an economic development policy manager in the mayor’s office. Fisher’s last day will be Friday, April 15, and the new field deputy for the area, Joaquin Macias, will start work on April 25. If constituents have questions or concerns before the 25th, they should contact the main council distric office at [email protected].
- The LPGA golf tournament will be held at the Wilshire Country Club from April 21-24.
- City Council District 13 and the Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC) will hold a neighborhood cleanup and tree giveaway on Saturday, April 30, in front of the Wilshire Branch Library at 149 N. St. Andrews Place.
- Metro will begin 10 weekend closures of Wilshire Blvd., between Highland and La Brea Aves., on Friday, April 22, for the removal of the concrete decking installed six years ago to facilitate construction of the new Wilshire/La Brea subway station. The street will be closed, and detours will be in effect, each weekend from 9 p.m. on Friday to 6 p.m. on Monday. (See our story about the closures for more information.)
- Construction along Rossmore Ave. this week is the beginning of a large LADWP water main replacement project. According to Fisher, the city started this week because it’s spring break for many students, so traffic is a bit lighter than usual. According to a flier sent out yesterday by LADWP (see below), the construction is beginning on Rossmore, just north of 3rd St., and will both shift over to Muirfield Road and proceed north on Rossmore toward Melrose over the next six months. One traffic lane will remain open during the construction, which will continue through October.
The next meeting of the GWNC board will be held on Wednesday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will most likely still be held via Zoom, though the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which oversees the city’s 99 neighborhood councils, is beginning discussions about possibly resuming in-person meetings soon.
