Community Opposition Rising - Lincoln Center NOT Moving Forward


The following preliminary response from Envision Venice to the Lincoln Center project (proposed for California and Lincoln) was presented at the Nov. 26 Neighborhood Council meeting and at the Dec. 1 Land Use Committee meeting by Laura Silagi.


The ENVISION VENICE workshop elicited a variety of recommendations for the future of Lincoln Boulevard which could be applieThe ENVISION VENICE workshop elicited a variety of recommendations for the future of Lincoln Boulevard which could be applied to the Lincoln Center development proposal.

One of the primary concerns of the community was PEDESTRIAN-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT. Here are some of the basic applications.

• Stores should front the sidewalk.

• Parking should be behind and/or below

• There should be pedestrian oriented architecture with articulated facades & doors to enter from the street, and windows for pedestrians to view things of interest.

• There should be improvement of street life on Lincoln Boulevard with meeting/ eating places and benches providing places to go and meet.

• Signage should be oriented to the pedestrian and not be on a monumental scale.
Diversity of types of businesses should provide for the diverse community of Venice, including “mom and pop” stores that offer services and goods to a mixture of income levels and ethnic groups that make up our community.

Affordable housing at a low and moderate level should be part of the Lincoln Center development for the life of the buildings.

Density and height were of major concern to many groups at the Envision Venice event. Specifics were not arrived at.

There was a consensus that traffic flow needs to be improved through multi-modal means – and the Lincoln Center proposal for 306 units needs to be looked at in concert with these improvements.

Transit improvements on Lincoln Boulevard should include bus shelters and other efforts to improve public transportation access to the Lincoln Center development.
Plazas for public outdoor gathering could be included in this plan.

These preliminary findings of the Envision Venice workshop as applied to the Lincoln Center development are in accordance with the Venice Community Plan. The Venice Community Plan sets forth goals and objectives to maintain the Venice community’s “distinctive character” in future development. In regard to commercial development it states:

1. New development should focus on pedestrian street activity. The mass, proportion and scale of all new buildings shall be at a pedestrian scale.

2. New development (should) be designed to enhance and be compatible with adjacent development.

3. It should preserve community character, scale and architectural diversity.

4. Establish street identity and character of commercial areas through appropriate sign control, landscaping and streetscape improvements.

5. No structures should exceed 3 stories or 45 feet in height or less. (This is in regard to mixed-use development.)

6. Locate surface parking to the rear of structures.

7. Coordination of new development with the availability of public infastructure.

8. While only the west side of Lincoln Boulevard is regulated by the Venice coastal Zone Specific plan,
similar design and development standards should be applied to the eastern side of Lincoln Boulevard.

I urge the LUPC to pay close attention to the findings of the Envision Venice Workshop when they are released, and ask that all future development along the Lincoln Boulevard corridor be reviewed with respect to these findings, along with the objectives of the Venice Community Plan

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Land Use Committee Reconsiders Support for Lincoln Center

The Neighborhood Council’s Land Use and Planning Committee (LUPC) voted to “Reconsider (its) approval of motions related to this development because project does not comply with Venice Community Plan...”
Voting for reconsideration were committee members Laura Burns, Sabrina Venskus, Lydia Poncé, Dennis Hathaway and John Davis. Opposed were DeDe Audet, Dan Valenzuela, Richard Carter and Greg Fitchitt.

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“Do Not Let This Happen”

By Jerry Jaffe

Comments presented to the GRVNC Board, Nov. 26.

Last April, over 250 people came to a Land Use and Planning Committee meeting to voice opposition to the Lincoln Center development. Over 200 people who had signed petitions opposing the project presented these to the committee, and sent copies to City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski’s office and the LA City planning department. Many also sent personal letters to the planning department in opposition to this project. At that time the LUPC voted 8 to 1 to oppose the project proposal.

Six months later, the LUPC held a meeting -- on Oct. 6, 2003 on the topic of the Lincoln Center development.
Not only was this meeting scheduled with one week’s notice, it was also scheduled on Yom Kippur, the most important Jewish holiday of the year.

At that Land Use Committee meeting of October 6th over 100 people were in attendance. The Lincoln Center developer presented a new proposal. Over 25 Venice stakeholders spoke, and ALL were in opposition to the proposed project and zone change. Most asked that the LUPC table the matter until after the November 15th “Envision Venice” event, to which the developer and architects had agreed to come.

The Land Use committee voted to approve, with various conditions, the request of the Lincoln Center developer. (One member abstained.) One of these conditions was for the developer to attend the upcoming “Envision Venice” workshop. For the most part, the specific provisions presented by the LUPC did not represent what the community wanted.

Six weeks later, the “Envision Venice” event gave the architect and developer, as well as numerous LA City officials, an opportunity to hear the public’s ideas and concerns for development in Venice along Lincoln Blvd.

Prior to this event, in an article in the “Venice Paper” newspaper entitled “Lincoln Center Moves Forward”, there is a quote from Lincoln Center developer Samuel Adams that, “we received a positive recommendation from the LUPC and we’re moving forward. We’re going to continue filing with the city.” Adams pledged to move ahead with the city regardless of “Envision Venice’s results.

The preliminary results of the ‘Envision Venice’ event show that the proposed Lincoln Center development is out-of-sync with the Venice community’s values for Lincoln Boulevard, as well as the recommendations put forth in the Venice Community Plan.

It is urgent that the Grass Roots Neighborhood Council weighs in with officials in the Los Angeles planning department, the Mayor’s Office and City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski’s office – and let them know that the LUPC recommendations do not carry any weight at this time. If no action is taken and no communication is made with the city, LUPC’s last report will stand, by default, as the authoritative view of the community.

Esteemed board members… Please do no let this happen. It is your duty to take action now – Before it is too late.

Posted: Mon - December 1, 2003 at 03:42 PM          

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