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Mayor Vetoes TFAR Ordinances; Council Hearing Continued to Early April
On Monday, March 19th,
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
vetoed the Transfer of Floor Area Ratio (TFAR) ordinance that Council recently approved, asking that the ordinance "incorporate Mayoral approval or veto, with possible override, of Council's approval, conditional approval, or disapproval of transfer applications."
CCA was a leader in the effort to make TFAR more relevant to residential developers, working closely with
Councilmember Jan Perry's
office, City Planning, and the CRA over the past two years to create an ordinance that would streamline the transfer process and establish a more reasonable public benefit payment. As drafted, the ordinance gives Council final authority over transfer applications, and does not grant the Mayor oversight.
Council scheduled its first hearing on Friday, March 23rd, to discuss the veto and Council's response, but continued the item to early April. During the meeting,
Councilmember Jan Perry
introduced a motion that would override the veto, but authorize several changes requested by the Mayor. This motion will be discussed, tentatively on
Tuesday, April 3rd
. Ten votes are required to override the veto.
CCA is advocating for a quick resolution, as this ordinance has the potential to create substantially more housing and density in Downtown, while providing the City millions of dollars for affordable housing and public improvement projects.
Industrial Land Updates
Council's Planning & Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee approved a motion sponsored by
Councilmember Jan Perry
requesting the Planning Department and CRA to form a working group of Downtown stakeholders, including CCA, the L.A. Fashion District, and others, to respond to the City's industrial land policy recommendations for Downtown. CCA testified in support of the working group and believes that it will serve as an important vehicle to address this complex, multi-faceted issue. The working group will begin meeting in coming weeks.
In addition, Director of Planning, Gail Goldberg recently released interim procedures for the processing of industrial land conversion cases. The guidelines make recommendations specific to the Arts District and areas "determined to be no longer viable for industrial use." These recommendations come as the response to a request CCA made in a meeting with Ms. Goldberg in early January to end a de facto "moratorium" on the conversion of industrial land to other uses.
CCA thanks Ms. Goldberg and Planning Department staff for their openness and willingness to work with community stakeholders on this important issue.
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• CCA's Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Veronica Perez Becker, met with Councilmember Tony Cardenas to discuss the negative impacts proposed condo conversion-related ordinances could have on Los Angeles' development community. • CRA Commissioners Bill Jackson and Bruce Ackerman discussed policy initiatives currently being undertaken by the CRA Board with CCA's Housing, Land Use & Development Committee. The Commissioners encouraged CCA to submit policy recommendations to the Board for their consideration. CCA will be drafting this document over the next month. • Council approved CCA Member Urban Partners' University Gateway project on Tuesday. This project will bring much-needed student housing and ground floor retail to the corner of Figueroa and Jefferson. To complement this project, Council also approved a general plan amendment that will allow mixed-use development along the Figueroa corridor and will help link Downtown and the Staples Center with USC and South L.A. CCA has testified in support of both the project and the general plan amendment at numerous hearings. • CCA's Housing, Land Use & Development Committee approved plans for Kawada Company's ZEN Project, a high rise mixed-use project proposed at 3rd and Hill in Downtown. • CCA invites you to join our Title Sponsor, BP America, Inc.; Host Sponsor, Downtown Los Angeles Broadway Theater District; Presenting Sponsors Wells Fargo and The Related Companies; and Sapphire Sponsors, the Los Angeles Times, Loyola Marymount University, the University of Southern California, and Washington Mutual for the 13th Annual Treasures of Los Angeles on April 5th at the Westin Bonaventure. The 2007 Award Recipients include: John Mauceri, KTLA, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Alfred Mann, Jack LaLanne, Loyola Marymount University, Carroll Shelby, Robert Wagner, Buzz Aldrin, and Para Los Ninos. CCA IN THE NEWS “'The jewelry trade is really big,' said Carol Schatz, president and chief executive of the Central City Association of Los Angeles. 'This is the second largest jewelry district in the country. It is a thriving industry. This is an industry that we want to nurture and protect.'” March 19, Los Angeles Business Journal, " Judah's Gem-Dandy Jewelry Center Sale ," by Daniel Miller.
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