Highlights of Wednesday’s Planning and Land Use Meeting

The Encino Neighborhood Council's Planning and Land Use Committee held its monthly meeting at the community center Wednesday night. The committee discussed and voted on the following issues:

Committee Opposes Proposed Sidewalk Repair Ordinance

In the midst of its budget crisis, the city of Los Angeles is proposing to place the responsibility for repairing broken sidewalks directly on to property owners. The committee unanimously approved a motion to object to the city’s proposed ordinance as it is written.

By 2009, nearly 43 percent of L.A.'s 10,750 miles of sidewalks required repair. The projected cost to repair them all is $1.2 billion, not including annual legal costs related to injury lawsuits. With a multimillion dollar deficit and , the city has been forced to consider tough solutions.

The City Council’s Public Works Committee has yet to review the draft ordinance proposed by City Attorney Carmen Trutanich. The ordinance as presently written would make homeowners responsible for repairs of adjacent curbs, driveways and sidewalks within 90 days of notice. The repairs are to be done by a list of approved contractors, and if the improvements are not completed within the time period the city would do the needed repairs and assess the property owner a 40 percent administration fee. See the attached document to read the revised draft of the ordinance in full.

Glenn Bailey, who is a member of the Encino Neighborhood Council, said several L.A. neighborhood councils have voiced opposition of the proposed ordinance. Some have even submitted community impact statements, he said.

Chase Bank Addresses Neighborhood Concerns

Chase Bank gave a presentation on the construction plans for its new location at 15903 Ventura Blvd., at the former Burger King site.

On the meeting agenda, the committee listed the wrong address and case number for the item. Parliamentarian Gerry Silver said the committee would be violating the Brown Act if it took action. The members voted to hear the presentation anyway because representatives of Chase Bank were there.

Austin Hahn, the civil engineer working on the bank’s design, explained that some nearby residents have expressed concerns about site security, hours of operation and delivery schedules. The company has held two on-site meetings with the neighbors to address their questions and reworked its design plans to alleviate concerns, he said.

Chase plans to install a fence to separate parking, so that when the bank closes, the area will be secured, Hahn said. The designs also show an increase in landscaping, a drive thru ATM and widening of the right-of-way and sidewalk by four feet.

Laurie Kelson, vice president of the Encino Neighborhood Council, indicated there were no more outstanding issues among the neighbors that she knew of.

The committee moved to recommend approval of the Chase Bank design plans. Eight were in favor, but Silver abstained due to the Brown Act violation.

Farfalla Restaurant Requests a Liquor License Upgrade

Farfalla Trattoria at 16403 Ventura Blvd. requested a conditional use permit to allow sale of full-line alcoholic beverages. The restaurant currently has a type 41 liquor license for beer and wine and wishes to upgrade to a type 47 liquor license. Farfalla has requested hours of alcohol sale from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the weekends.

The committee moved to “not oppose” the license upgrade. The motion passed with eight in favor and one opposed.

Silver, who is also the president of Homeowners of Encino, opposed the motion. He said the council “needs to have objective standards for opposing or not opposing” liquor license requests in order to address the over-saturation of alcohol sales on Ventura Boulevard. 

Brett Engstrom, the attorney that represents Farfalla, said the city’s zoning administrator, Maya Zaitzevsky, will hear the request on June 21.

Sunday Open House Signs Irk a Neighbor

Les Rodin, the president of a local property management and real estate investment company, spoke for three minutes expressing concern about “open house” signs in the neighborhood. He said brokers are now hiring third party companies to set the signs out early Sunday morning and take them down after 7 p.m. Sunday night.

The problem, he said, is that these signs clutter the landscape. They are unsightly and block the city right of way, he said. Rodin also claimed the open house signs violate the Ventura-Cahuenga Blvd. Corridor Specific Plan’s signage restrictions.

“The ordinance says that none of these signs are allowed at all […] And now with the problem going on, the area looks like Tiahuana or a shopping center,” Rodin said. “I would hope the council will ask the councilman to put out a directive to the street bureau to tell them to enforce the ordinance.”

Shawn Bayliss of Koretz's office said that the city often lacks the staff and budget needed to quickly address sign enforcement problems on Sundays.

The committee voted unanimously to ask Councilman Paul Koretz’s office to look into the sign ordinance and determine which hours are legal to have the signs up. It asked that a representative from the councilman’s office report back at the next general meeting with more information. The issue will go on as a consent item at the council’s general meeting on June 22.

Residents Question BevMo's Conditional Use Permit

A couple of residents, including Ken Silk of the Encino Neighborhood Council, expressed concerns about the BevMo! parking lot at 17965 Ventura Blvd.

When the Encino Neighborhood Council approved the conditional use permit for BevMo! in July 2010, it added “the condition that signs be posted throughout the parking lot reflecting the current city ordinances as it applies to drinking alcohol on private property and there be a roving security guard in the parking areas during the hours of operation provided by the landlord or BevMo! and these conditions to be reviewed at will by the ENC for enforcement purposes.”

“These conditions are being virtually ignored,” said Silk. “I urge that you send a letter to the appropriate parties asking that they check into this and enforce it.”

Silk claimed there is graffiti, insufficient lighting, illegal dumping, public drinking and loitering in the parking lot. However, Tonya Barseghian, who is the chair of the council’s public safety committee, said she spoke with a LAPD Senior Lead Officer and none of the allegations have been logged with police.

The committee unanimously approved a motion to ask Koretz’s office to follow up with appropriate city agencies and private parties to address the issues and see if there is a violation of the conditional use permit.