PPCC Land Use Committee Discusses Under-Construction Home in Marquez, Local Zoning Regulations

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

The Pacific Palisades Community Council Land Use Committee revisited a discussion regarding the construction of a single-family dwelling at Marquez Avenue and Ida Street, which prompted officials to review the project and ensure adherence to regulations and guidelines, at its October 28 meeting.

The PPCC LUC first discussed the project in April—Chair Howard Robinson provided a succeeding update to April’s report.

The project demolished an existing 1,521-square-foot, one-story, single-family residence on Marquez Avenue for the construction of a 5,559-square-foot, three-story, single-family residence with a 391-square-foot roof deck over a 630-square-foot basement and an attached two-car garage, according to Senior Planning Deputy for Councilmember Mike Bonin’s Office Jason Douglas.

Dozens of neighbors expressed through emails and discussions during organizational meetings they did not wish to see a project they feel contradicts the mass, scale and character of their community.

“More and more neighborhood residents are voicing their anger that this illegal and outrageous house … was approved and allowed to move forward with construction,” Palisadian Steven Dersh wrote on February 18. “It is the city of Los Angeles’ job to protect our community and enforce the zoning, coastal, and building and safety laws.”

Robinson said neighbors’ concerns triggered an investigation.

“When a home [with] these large sizes was approved and being constructed, the neighbors understandably got very upset, so we started looking at this particular house: Did the city make a mistake? Were errors made? The neighbors were wondering all kinds of things,” Robinson said. “As we looked into it, we discovered … that there was this unique donut hole, if you will, in the zoning regulations and this home was completely legal. City staff looked at it very carefully.”

A notice to stop construction and a notice of intent to revoke the building permit was issued on March 3 by the Department of Building and Safety, but the order did not indicate that the building height constituted a code violation.

Homes of this nature are allowed in the lower Marquez neighborhood north of Sunset Boulevard because they are in the R1-1, non-hillside, Coastal Zone category, Robinson explained.

Robinson added DBS made an error, and the owner was able to address its questions and make minor design changes. The permit was reinstated in June, and construction has since continued.

“The home that triggered this investigation is legal, and there’s nothing we can do about it and it’s being built,” Robinson said.

He added the LUC realized there is a lack of understanding and confusion about zoning regulations. In an effort to provide educational tools to the community, LUC prepared a spreadsheet listing all of the single-family residential zones in the Palisades. It is available on PPCC’s homepage.

PPCC said a public meeting will take place in the near future to gather residents’ feedback in coastal non-hillside neighborhoods as to whether and how they wish to change zoning regulations in these areas.

For more information and to view LUC’s documents, visit pacpalicc.org.