Trammell Crow project rejected by Neighborhood Council Board
By Jim
Smith
The Grass Roots Venice
Neighborhood Council rejected a committee’s recommendation for approval of
the 298-unit Trammell Crow project in the Oxford Triangle
neighborhood.
The Land Use and Planning Committee (LUPC)
approved the project, provided an access route to Lincoln Blvd. could be found.
However, at the Nov. 24 Board meeting, Oxford Triangle residents turned up in
opposition to the project, even though it had found an outlet to Lincoln. The
project would provide spaces for more than 600 vehicles, but would include no
affordable housing units.
The Board
voted to reverse the LUPC’s approval of the project., except for Dede
Audet, Sabrina Venksus, Laddie Williams, Greg Fitchitt and David Moring who
voted to uphold the LUPC reccommendation, and Bonnie Cheeseman, who abstained.
It’s not the end of the project,
however. It will be heard by the West L.A. Planning Commission on Dec. 8. The
hearing is at 9 AM at 1645 Corinth Avenue (off Santa Monica
Blvd.).
In spite of several
resignations, the new majority on the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council
(GRVNC) seems to be hitting their stride. New committees, and sub-committees are
being formed, a budget is being prepared, an office - and regular meeting place
- has been found (at the Vera Davis McClendon Center), and communications with
the rest of Venice are being
restored.
New members have been voted
on the Board and the (LUPC) to fill open positions (see box: Who’s out and
who’s in).
In spite of the
musical chairs, two well attended board meetings were held during November, as
well as executive committee, conservation, land use and budget committees. The
GRVNC-endorsed Envision Venice workshop attracted about 150 people, including
most of the neighborhood council
board.
Much of the past two meetings of
the Board has been taken up with reviewing the development decisions of the
LUPC, which has been meeting during the months when the Board was sidelined
because of election challenges. The Board has not endorsed the massive Lincoln
Center shopping center and housing project, delaying its decision until the
Envision Venice workshop report is heard. That workshop dealth, at least in
part, with the issues raised by the Lincoln Center proposal.
Also coming before the Nov. 24 Board
meeting was the controversal, but unseen, Ocean Front Walk ordinance. Artists,
performers and free speech advocates who populate the west side of the walk have
been up in arms about a rumored lottery plan which would rotate their spots.
Sandy Kievman, an aid to Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski, responded to
complaints that the Neighborhood Council had not involved. She said the council
office welcomed the input of GRVNC and interested individuals. She said a group
called the Boardwalk Task Force had been actively participating in formulating
the ordinance.
At that meeting, the
Board also filled two vacancies. Dennis Hathaway was elected by body over Todd
Darling to fill the Penmar South seat that had been vacated by Chris Williams.
Geoffrey Collins, who was attending his first neighborhood council meeting, won
a three-way contest over long-time activists Moira LaMountain and John Davis for
an at-large position. Neither LaMountain nor Davis was able to attend the Board
meeting, but they were well known to those voting, since both had campaigned for
the election of the Progressive
Slate.
The first choice votes were for
Moira LaMountain: Paul Ryan, Peggy Lee Kennedy, Lydia Poncé; for John
Davis: Suzanne Thompson, Alice Stek, Jim Smith; for Geofrey Collins: Sabrina
Venskus, DeDe Audet, Tom O’Meara, Greg Fitchitt, Dennis Hathaway, Laddie
Williams, Sheila Bernard, Elinor Aurthur and David
Moring.
Chris Wood, 2nd Vice President
and one of the founders of the GRVNC, announced that she was resigning her
position because she was taking a one-year job assignment in
Denver.
A scheduled Dec. 10 Town Hall
meeting has been cancelled. The next Board meeting will be held on Dec. 22 at
the Vera Davis McClendon Center, 610 California Avenue.
Posted: Mon - December
1, 2003 at 04:00 PM