City Council grants appeal, reverses lot-line adjustment approval for Studio City subdivision

The Los Angeles City Council on May 24 voted 9-4 to grant an appeal of a lot-line adjustment that would have reconfigured parcels in a Studio City subdivision, reversing the committee recommendation and halting the ministerial approval the developer sought.

The vote concerned a parcel map exemption — commonly called a lot-line adjustment — that would reduce 14 lots to six and is tied to a previously approved private street. Proponents for the property owner said the change is a ministerial action under the Subdivision Map Act and must be granted if the resulting parcels conform to zoning and building codes; opponents said the map and related approvals circumvented required scrutiny and left access and safety questions unresolved.

Ben Resnick, who represented the property owner Howard Stone, told the council the lot-line adjustment “is a ministerial action” under state and city rules and argued the council cannot condition or deny it if the parcels conform with building and zoning laws. Resnick said the disputed lots are “legal lots” and certificates of compliance were issued in 1989.

Opponents said the controversy stems from earlier…