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Council keeps Mulholland Scenic Corridor intact, assigns oversight to South Valley area planning commission
Summary
After debate over where to place oversight for the Mulholland Scenic Corridor among new area planning commissions, the council adopted the Planning and Land Use Management Committee's majority recommendation to assign the corridor to the South Valley Area Planning Commission while keeping the corridor unified for review purposes.
The Los Angeles City Council voted 12-1 to follow the planning committee nd staff recommendation that places the Mulholland Scenic Corridor under the South Valley Area Planning Commission (APC) while preserving the specific-plan protections for the corridor.
The question before councilmembers was which of the newly drawn APCs should exercise appellate and zoning responsibilities for the Mulholland Scenic Corridor and its Design Review Board (DRB). Several community groups and civic associations urged the council to place the corridor under the West Los Angeles APC so the corridor and adjacent hillside neighborhoods would be reviewed together. Barry Reed, executive director of Mulholland Tomorrow, told the council placing the corridor in West LA "will keep the corridor and the hillside neighborhoods intact as one planning area." Residents and neighborhood groups in Brentwood, the Palisades and other Westside neighborhoods also urged the West LA placement.
Planning staff and the Planning and Land Use Management Committee majority recommended South Valley, arguing most current project volume, staff work and appeals originate from the South Valley portion of the corridor; the majority report cited that roughly 68 percent of the corridor's cases were generated in the South Valley area. Planning department staff said amendments and specific-plan appeals ultimately go to the City Planning Commission under the charter, but APC placement affects the pool of area planning commissioners hearing DRB appeals.
Council debate: Councilmembers were split on principle. Supporters of keeping the corridor in the South Valley area cited caseload concentration, staff availability and administrative practicalities. Supporters of a West LA placement argued that cohesion with Westside community plans and the DRB made West LA preferable. Councilmember Cindy Misakowski introduced the minority motion for West LA; councilmember Janice Goldberg and others supported it. The substitution motion to adopt the West LA minority report failed 6-7; the council then approved the majority report (South Valley placement) 12-1.
Why it matters: The placement determines which APC handles appeals and public review on hillside development, design review and specific-plan amendments for a scenic corridor that spans multiple community plan areas. Councilmembers noted the arrangement will be revisited after the new APCs have operated for up to two years, and staff and advocates asked the planning department to consider an overlay zone approach for consistent hill-slope rules citywide.
Ending: The council approved the committee ecision to place the Mulholland Corridor under the South Valley APC while preserving the corridor's specific-plan protections; members asked the planning department to monitor operations and return with recommendations for adjustments as the new APC structure matures.
