City Challenges Homeowners to Unite in Palisadian Vision

By John Harlow | Editor-in-Chief

Palisadians have been given an opportunity, unique in recent Los Angeles history, to reshape domestic living in Pacific Palisades—but with one major caveat.

Residents have weeks to decide whether they want, in the broadest terms, the freedom to build bigger or preserve smaller homes. Or a mixture of both.

And then speak to the City Council with one voice.

That was the key message from an occasionally raucous public meeting with LA City Planning officials held at Palisades Charter High School on Wednesday, July 13.

It was held hours before the city’s Planning Commission voted to clamp down on home developments everywhere else in Los Angeles to prevent the sprawl of homes “out of scale” with their neighbors—sometimes dubbed McMansions.

The city’s BMO/BHO (Baseline Mansionization Ordinance/Baseline Hillside Ordinance) amendments, which are expected to become city law next March, set standards for single-family homes that reduce the home’s floor area ratio from 50 percent to 45 percent of the total lot size.

They also sweep away many of the “bonus” loopholes such as installing a green roof, which could add another 20 percent to the floor plan.

That is the general rule.

In 13 city areas from East Venice to West Hollywood, where Councilmembers Paul Koretz and David Ryu have lead the charge against “out of scale” homes, new rules will be even tougher on home builders.

But thanks to a campaign by fellow-Councilmember Mike Bonin, who wields significant influence in City Hall as council District 11 represents 15 percent of newly built homes in LA, the Palisades is the only part of the city that currently has the opportunity to be rezoned to allow for larger homes.

“It’s a very good time for your community because we have a very bad track record in rezoning the city’s 35 zones,” said Tom Rothman, half-jokingly.

Rothman is LA city’s principal planner who under the program known as re:code LA is responsible for harmonizing the mosaic of codes, past exemptions and obscurities that date back to 1946. Critics have compared it to reforming the federal tax code.

“So it’s your turn to have your own tailored zone. We hope it will be sorted out before next March,” he said. That is when the BMO/BHO regulations are due to come into law, partially to replace ICOs (Interim Control Ordnances), which, after two years, lapse at that time.

“There will be winners and losers: other neighborhoods are not getting this kind of treatment,” he told the Pali High audience.

Technically the BMO/BHO regulations approved by the planning commission last week revealed no geographical distinctions.

But the Palisadian exemption was revealed in a letter from Niall Huffman, a senior planner within the city’s code studies division, to a local home owner released last weekend by leading broker Anthony Marguleas.

It reads: “At the request of Councilmember Bonin’s office the Planning Department has agreed to work with Pacific Palisades residents and stakeholders to rezone the neighborhood with one or more of the new single-family zones that we are developing through re:code LA.

“This rezoning effort will proceed on a separate but parallel track to the BMO/BHO amendment.

“Ultimately, the goal is for Pacific Palisades to be covered by whichever new zone(s) the community determines is appropriate.”

At Pali High, Christine Saponara, city planner leading the Neighborhood Conservation Initiative, opened by revealing the department agrees with the mantra promoted in different tones by Pacific Palisades Community Council and the Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association as well as local architects at the Design Review Board and the Civic League since the BMO/BHO proposals emerged last year: “One size does not fit all.”

That alone is a philosophical victory for the Palisades.

In recent weeks city planners have been driving around the Palisades, talking to residents and “taking the temperature” in eight different areas to prepare a map of potential zones.

It was not intended to be “scientific” poll any more than 100 stakeholders who turned up at the Pali High meeting could be entirely representative of every view in the Palisades.

One map revealed by Sapornara was drawn up to start the conversation, she said, not dictate it. “We use a lot of jargon in our field but we want to talk to you about your options in your neighborhood. It’s up to you what you want to come out of these discussions,” she said.

The map showed how the Palisades is currently zoned under six different planning regimes—the coastal zone boundary, the BHO and BMO rules, Open space, R1 and “other residential zoning.” The Palisades is also regulated by older contracts such as Tract 9300 which permits larger Huntington mansions whilst ensuring they are built in harmony with their neighbors.

At the presentation a city map showed four large looped circles of areas, largely in the heart of the Palisades, which could contain both more restrictive and more liberal homeowner codes.

The city suggested that, for instance, the southern Alphabet Streets bordering Sunset Boulevard could be covered by the BMO and BHO but a northern zone could be opened to larger developments codified as R1.

Saponara revealed details in the revised codes, such as restricting the amount of dirt that can be moved out from underneath houses constructed on pylons, or a 20-foot height limits before a roof has to pitch inwards at 45 degrees.

But overall there are three key choices for the Palisades.

The first is voting for Increased FAR (Floor Option Ratio), which allows builders to develop up to 65 percent of the level lot land.

Moderate FAR between 35 percent and 45 percent of the lot and Reduced FAR, which could confine future developers to filling as little as 30 percent of the lot—far less than allowed in the BMO/BHO zones.

A ragged and uncertain show of hands suggested that two-thirds of the Pali High audience were in favor of Increased FAR, largely to protect the freedom to expand or hand down smaller homes with development potential.

But around a third of the residents and stakeholders—largely from Marquez Knolls—voted for Moderate and Reduced FAR rules.

The city planners, so inundated with sometimes-frustrated questioners a sole voice was heard begging neighbors to “stop being rude,” tried to point out that everyone can benefit and it’s not a “zero sum game” where one only benefits at the expense of neighbors.

Over recent months there have been snappy exchanges between civic leaders, setting at odds those wanting a “one size fits all” exemption for the Palisades and those pressing for sub-exemptions for their own unique neighborhoods.

For instance Jack Allen, the Alphabet Streets resident who stood against the Caruso development until, as he said last week, he realized “we have as much as we are going to get,” wants the most restrictive BMO regulations to cover all of the Alphabet Streets.

Neighbor Lisa Morrin, one of the 200 realtors in the Palisades who largely back light-handed regulation, said that each area should have its own regulatory bodies “with more teeth” rather than be subject to city rules.

Others admit they are conflicted.

Michael J. Shilub, an attorney from the Alphabet Streets, said he favored “reasonable” restrictions that can block new homes if they threaten to ruin a neighbor’s light and air and reduce their privacy without adding to the quality of PP life.

He fears the recoding may already be 10 years too late, with so many new “monster” homes overshadowing smaller homes in the relatively narrow streets.

“But I am not in favor of unreasonable restrictions that will unduly restrict a property owner’s ability to build,” he added.

By contrast Jim and Patty McGinn say it’s a matter of legacy: “We have lived in The Huntington since 1967. We decided to remodel out rather than up to stay a one-story, and now fear our family will be punished for that.

“When we pass on our children will inherit our home and most likely sell it. If the next owner is limited to one story (under the more restrictive option) the net worth of our home will be greatly diminished. Please don’t encumber the eventual sale of our home.”

The Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association (MKPOA) has reached out to a sample 500 of the 1,200 homes in its area, seeking to ascertain which building code could best protect its typically one and two story homes and their Pacific Ocean views.

Christy Dennis, president of MKPOA, said she was heartened by the meeting and hoped that her members could now press forward in a “collegiate” fashion with the PPCC to present a united face to the LA city planners.

They are pressing ahead with alacrity: Dennis and her colleagues including Cheryl Zomber, an outspoken defender of Marquez Knolls sea views, are hoping to speak with Bonin’s planning adviser Tricia Keane today.

Yet Bonin’s work could still come apart in disarray.

Warned one informed insider: “Planners cannot drill down to spot-planning block by block exemptions. There has to be a single voice, even if it does cover a mosaic of different community needs. And it has to be in place, in planning terms, very soon.”

The PPCC is expected to take the lead in promoting a community vision to the city.

Maryam Zar, the new president of PPCC, said they will leave Marquez Knolls to promote its own “fine tuning” needs to Bonin.

“There should be enough room for that. But I will not jeopardize our community consensus because they’d like to add a wrinkle. The role of PPCC was not to negotiate or mediate this Marquez Knolls issue but to speak for the majority of the community.”

Past PPCC leaders have argued that Palisadians are generally pro-development believing that everyone benefits in the long run from the area’s 500 new developments a year, which raise significant revenue for City Hall—another source of Bonin’s political clout.

Groups such as the Civic League have prevented developments from turning into McMansion boxes, lacking architectural integrity or social grace.

And the recoding could strengthen these bodies.

What happens next?

Next month the city expects to mail out invitations to a second public meeting to be held in the Palisades 24 days later, probably in mid-September, where coding options will be discussed with the community and then refined.

These proposals will then go to the Planning and Land Management committee during the fall before reaching the full City Council, probably in December or January.

If approved Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, would ceremonially sign the new PP proposals at City Hall on Spring Street so they become city code 41 days later.

There is another possible snag: if the Palisades exemptions are delayed by wrangling, then the BHO/BMO could take effect over the Palisades before its exemption kicks in. How that legal vacuum affect development applications is unknown.

And if they prove to work to the benefit of the city and the area, balancing out economic development and quality of life, other LA areas could follow this historic path blazed by forward-thinking Palisadians.