HILLSIDE AREA Amendment

HILLSIDE AREA Amendment

The September 1, 2009 Planning & Land Use Management Committee Meeting has been canceled. However, the Hillside Area amendment has been tentatively placed on the September 8, 2009 agenda. I will send an email when this date has been confirmed.

No new updates regarding the Baseline Hillside Ordinance; we are still working on the draft language and hope to get that to the public as soon as possible.

That is all for now. If anyone has any question please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Erick Lopez, City Planner
Department of City Planning
Community Planning Bureau – West Coastal Division
200 N. Spring St., Room 621
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 978-1243
(213) 978-1226 – fax
erick.lopez@lacity.org

Prepared by the City of Los Angeles –Department of City Planning

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the proposal?
A proposal to amend the Zoning Code’s “Hillside Area” definition and create a new Hillside Area Map.

What does the proposal do?
The proposed Hillside Area definition and map will better reflect the true hillsides throughout the City of Los Angeles.

Why is this being proposed?
The current definition is based on Bureau of Engineering Basic Grid Maps and major street boundaries and includes thousands of lots which are not actually hillside. The proposed Hillside Area map utilizes more refined data (USGS topographic information) and new technology that identifies the true topographical hillsides –i.e. contain or are located near areas with strong slopes (15% slope or greater).
The proposal is Step 2 of a 3~step process to protect single-family neighborhoods from out-of-scale development, commonly referred to as mansionization; Step 1 was the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance and Step 3 will be the Baseline Hillside Ordinance.

Who does it affect?
Approximately 51,000 single-family zoned lots which are not truly hillside will have the Hillside Area designation removed.

How does the proposal affect these properties?
Removal of the Hillside Area designation from the 51,000 lots which are not truly hillside, and not located in a Coastal Zone, will have the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance applied to them, thereby protecting these lots from out-of-scale development. This will leave only true hillside lots to be addressed by the Baseline Hillside Ordinance which is in its early stages of development, and will establish new single-family hillside regulations to address out-of-scale development throughout the City’s hillside communities.

Will this proposal remove any existing protection from over development?
No, almost all of the properties where the Hillside Area designation would be removed front on streets with a width greater than 28 feet, so the current Zoning Code hillside regulations do not apply. They would be better protected by the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance. Those properties remaining within the proposed Hillside Area boundaries will have no change.

Will this proposal remove any protection from excessive grading and haul routes?
Current grading regulations are located in the Building Code and are applied based on its own Hillside Grading Area definition. Neither of those will be affected by the proposed Hillside Area amendment; so whether a property remains in, or is being removed from the Hillside Area boundaries it will continue to be subject to the current grading regulations.

Will there be any future opportunities to revise the proposed Hillside Area Map?
Yes, all maps developed and maintained by the Department of City Planning allow for periodic review and revision. Moreover, the opportunity to discuss any possible changes will remain open during the Baseline Hillside Ordinance public outreach and adoption processes.

For more information on the proposed Hillside Area amendment please download the StaffReportavailable at: http://planning.lacity.org/Code_Studies/HillsideAreaDefinitionAmendment/CPC~2008~4683~CA~StaffReport.pdf

If you have any questions or comments, or to be added to the interest list, please contact
City Planner, Erick Lopez at erick.lopez@lacity.org or (213) 978~1243.

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