A seemingly routine matter before the West Hollywood Planning Commission on Thursday night turned into a heated debate about the city’s obligation to give residents adequate information about issues that affect them.
The Commission was considering a state-mandated amendment to the zoning laws changing the definition of “special needs housing” to make it easier to open emergency shelters, homeless shelters, transitional housing and single-room occupancy (SRO) housing. The item would have declared the entire length of Santa Monica Boulevard as an appropriate place for special needs housing.
In the end the Commission voted unanimously to continue the item until its next meeting on Jan. 17, 2013. In the meantime, the Commission instructed city staff to send notices to the entire city.
Because it has the potential to affect the entire city, the Commission asked how notification about the hearing was conducted. City staff said it had posted notices in standard locations (City Hall, the sheriff’s station, the library and Plummer Park), printed a notice in the Beverly Press and sent out mailings.
Commissioner Donald DeLuccio said he had received a mailing about the hearing through his neighborhood association, but the rest of the commissioners said they did not receive any such mailing.
The seven people speaking during public comment also said they had not received notice.
“It seems like a very serious, complicated zone-text amendment and yet we’re just all finding out about it now,” said resident Lauren Meister. “There’s been no outreach to the public, not to residents and I doubt that there’s been any outreach to businesses. If I was a business owner on Santa Monica Boulevard, I’d sure as hell want to be here.”
“The biggest problem is the idea of what outreach is,” said resident Cathy Blaivas. “Something that is going to go the length of Santa Monica Boulevard, there needs to be better notification.”
Commissioner John Altschul not only criticized staff for not sending notices to the entire city, but also for sending notices with confusing wording, calling them “unintelligible.”
Melissa Antol, the city’s long range and mobility planning manager, reminded everyone that the state was requiring the zone-text amendment, and that the Commission had no option but to approve it.
“What we’re trying to do is follow the state guidelines citing that we need to provide for these housing options in residential-zone districts,” Antol said. “It’s not like by listening to people, it’s not as though we have an option to not do it if people don’t like it.”
“What is the harm when it’s something with the potential to affect so many stakeholders in letting them know what’s going on?” Altschul said. “Should we cede our obligation to the public? Giving notice to the entire community is the least we can do.”
City staff said the state required the zone-text amendment to be passed within one year of the adoption of the new General Plan, the document that guides development in the city for the next 25 years. After a four-year process, the City Council approved the General Plan in December 2011.
“Why are we so close to the limit when we’re about to have this discussion?” asked resident Stephanie Harker. “The community feels left out. They should be a part of this at all levels, not when it’s almost passed and ready to go to the council.”
DeLuccio wondered why the item hadn’t come to the commission sooner, noting that the commission had had a very light schedule for the past six months.
Commissioner Marc Yeber pointed out that since the City Council also has to approve the item, the state mandated one-year deadline will have already passed before it could become law.
City attorney Christi Hogin said the city had a little bit of leeway with the deadline.
The staff report on the item also came under fire. Altschul severely criticized it.
“There is no attention paid to the feelings of the community, to the sensibilities of the community, to the rights and privileges of the community,” Altschul said. “The options and the decisions should be made after good analysis and good input. There’s no good analysis here and there’s no substantial input.”
Meister also questioned why the staff report didn’t include a report from the sheriff’s department since this was a matter affecting public safety.
City staff said Santa Monica Boulevard had been designated as the location for the special needs housing during the General Plan meetings.
Resident Elyse Eisenberg said she had attended almost every General Plan meeting the city held and homeless shelters, transitional housing, etc. were never mentioned.
Resident Allegra Allison questioned the quality-of-life issues since there is the potential for homeless shelters to pop up on every block of Santa Monica Boulevard.
“Having homeless shelters available across the entire city will affect businesses hugely, public safety hugely,” said Allison.
Allison also compared Thursday night’s affair to the concerns residents had years ago involving the KLEAN Treatment Center, an upscale drug and alcohol rehab facility that residents felt snuck into the Norma Triangle area without properly informing the neighborhood beforehand.
Norma Triangle resident Judson Green, one of the many who fought KLEAN, was also upset.
“I’m not sure why we’re forced to live on the defensive in our homes,” said Green.
Staff pointed out that just because shelters and transitional housing would be permitted on Santa Monica Boulevard didn’t mean that such housing would actually be built. Staff said there were better uses for spaces on Santa Monica Boulevard and that money was still needed to fund the housing.
DIdn’t ANYONE listen to Sam Quinones on the subject of the homeless; the drug use among that demographic, when he spoke recently? Has anyone discovered WHY so many are homeless? Is it always drugs? Job loss? What else contributes to this overwhelming issue that nothing seems able to remedy? And if one exists, what is the best analysis of the problem reported, determined, parsed by real experts in the field? I read articles and opinions and media resources on the problem, but no one has provided me with a definitive concensus? An agreed-upon meeting of the minds from a variety.… Read more »
I am quite disgusted by the NIMBYism displayed in the comments.
I understanding we need to take care of the homeless, but this needs to be carefully planned to have these places out of residential areas. Why does West Hollywood have to be the place, West Hollywood can help Los Angeles and work with having this downtown. I have noticed over the past year the increase in homeless on the street. They are aggressive, loud, and the police can take 45 minutes to an hour to show up. I have had homeless sleeping in my front yard and in my patio. The police take 45 minutes to 1 hour to show… Read more »
Very well said. Has anyone given you an answer?
From what I understand, the State bill includes options, which were not presented in the staff report, for example, “Multi-Jurisdictional Agreements.” Hopefully, the staff report will be revised before the next Planning Commission hearing so that the complete text of the State bill is included, and all options are presented.
Santa Monica Blvd is 100% commercial property. Who is going to pay the rent for emergency shelters, homeless shelters, transitional housing and single-room occupancy (SRO) housing? This is some of the most expensive real estate in the area.
Another thing that was glossed over in this discussion at the eleventh hour, was the matter of options. There was a brief mention of Beverly Blvd. but no details. If I were a betting woman, I would hazard a guess that the City planners would be looking at the east side of town, just as they did when they recommended a new recyling center not 25 feet from residents bedrooms. Another thing not discussed was the that if the City were to receive State or County monies for a shelter project that the occupancy would not be limited to West… Read more »
Of course it was the “east side” of town. There is an erroneous belief held by many who live west of the Maginot Line (Fairfax Avenue) that the East Side of be usedWest Hollywood is some sort of petri dish to use for performing experiments in city government and tolerance levels that residents might endure. This has been demonstrated more than once during my residence here. And let me warn the population of this little burgh...what ever you decide to create as a solution...IF YOU. BUILD IT THEY WILL COME...and I suspect remorse may fast follow.
Maybe the shelters could include the parts of Santa Monica Boulevard in places like BH, West LA and SM. The sooner the council realizes that the residents of this town have declared themselves to emanicipated and involved citizens – the city will not try to sneak this kind of crap in every chance they get.