Committee sustains area planning decision; Mount Washington homeowners press city over Frontenac street access

The Planning and Land Use Management Committee voted to deny an appeal and sustain the East Los Angeles Area Planning Commission’s approval of a Class 3 categorical exemption related to a two‑story single‑family home proposed for a vacant sloped lot in Mount Washington (504 West Avenue 44).

Zoning administrator Tim Fargo and Planning staff told the committee the project had been reviewed for exceptions to the categorical exemption and conditioned to comply with applicable codes, including off‑street parking requirements and fire department review. Fargo said the agency’s practice in hillside areas is to require adjacent roadway improvements only where a project directly impacts a street and to evaluate minimum roadway relief on a case‑by‑case basis.

Appellant Sarah Ramich, representing the Frontenac Avenue Safety Association, said Frontenac Avenue is roughly 9–10 feet wide in places, is unpaved where it abuts the parcel, and has a history of emergency‑access failures, including a 2014 fire that resulted in a neighbor’s death. Ramich said the project sits in a very high fire hazard severity zone and argued the location, cumulative impacts and unusual circumstances exceptions to the Class 3 exemption applied. Neighbors and other speakers described repeated instances when fire apparatus could not access the area.

The project owners, Bert Yoon and Myeong Kim, told the committee their design complies with wildfire and building codes and that requested deviations for street width and sidewalks reflect existing neighborhood conditions; they said they would meet fire and building code requirements. Councilmember Nithya Raman’s office asked staff to continue exploring options, and a representative for Councilmember Hernandez described work to estimate front‑yard road‑improvement costs and potential financing options, including discussion of a special assessment district and purchasing smaller fire and ambulance vehicles for narrow‑street neighborhoods.

Jamie Hall, appearing as a public commenter and attorney, reiterated concerns that the project may not comply with state minimum fire safe regulations and cited a Los Angeles Municipal Code provision adopting those regulations.

After discussion, the committee sustained the East Los Angeles Area Planning Commission’s decision and denied the appeal by a unanimous roll call vote. Committee members indicated concern about public safety and expressed interest in further city action to address narrow‑street emergency access and potential funding mechanisms for broader infrastructure improvements in hillside neighborhoods.