Information on Westdale Village Courtyard Apartments appeal
by Marty Rubin
Report from the Friends of the Westdale Village Courtyard Apartments on the latest developments:
The demolition of the three units belonging to Michael Christian is complete.
We did not engage legal counsel to fight City Hall. Attorney
estimates of the cost, in the five figures, were unacceptable to us -
and far beyond our means. Thank you to those who sent
contributions to the legal fund; the checks were not deposited.
Please let us know by return email if you would like yours returned to
you or if you’d prefer us to apply your contribution
toward the $5000-plus expenses we have incurred in the past year.
An expense report is available to anyone who requests it.
There will be an appeal regarding the approval of Mike
Christian’s condo subdivision application to the
Department of Planning. Of several issues addressed in the
appeal, the primary one is that, although one developer was obligated
by the city to provide a Historic Resources Survey as part of his
application, Michael Christian was not. This might lead to
another opportunity of making our historic designation case for the
remaining buildings. It has been suggested that the Department of
Planning can act independently of the City Council on this matter.
Where: West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission
Henry Medina West Los Angeles Parking Enforcement Facility,
2nd floor, Roll Call Room
11214 W. Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064
When: January 18, 2006
Time: approximately 4:30 p.m.
The second developer referred to above is Dan Hazon, who built the
condos on the corner of Butler and National. He now owns the
parcel on the corner of Federal and National, and during the hearing
for his application for a condo subdivision he was told that he had to
provide a Historic Resources Survey. We are watching this case
closely.
In an interesting turn of events the developers Bob Green and Tom Paul,
who own three parcels next to the demolished sites, have decided to
sell. Reportedly they anticipate more resistance from the
community and decided not to proceed with their project. For the
tenants who live in those apartments this is a reprieve that offers
them more time, but it is not a final resolution. We hope that
the new owner will be motivated to engage in dialogue with the
community before he or she moves ahead.
Our goal was to save all twelve buildings, and three have been
lost. But we have had a significant impact on several
counts. Foremost is the coalescence of the community around a
very important issue that will have an effect on our quality of
life. Our grassroots effort is a good example of what the city's
charter seeks to promote in the creation of the neighborhood council
system. We are far from what can eventually develop as
neighborhood-based power, but we have taken a very important
step. We of FWCA are hopeful that it is one of many ever-larger
steps to come.
Thank you again for your support!