Pacific Concourse Project Overview
- “Between a Rock and A Hard Place”
November
4, 2004 - Julie Vogel
In recent years buildings have appeared in and around the Del
Aire community as empty lots are permitted by the County and built
without the community’s involvement or input. Many of the
homes that were demolished to make way for the freeway were not rebuilt, but instead the land was re-zoned
from R-1 residential to MPD. This gave birth to the Del
Aire Business Park which later shared a room with the County Airport
Courthouse. On all borders of Del Aire, major corporate
buildings, retail establishments, restaurants and several other
mixed use buildings slowly began to appear.
It is clear that over the years the composition of the community
has changed, however a strong sense of community still remains
strong and active. Over the last several months Del Aire residents have overwhelmingly
united in an effort to preserve the uniquely close-knit community
that has remained in tact after all of these years.
Unlike many projects that seem to sprout
up overnight, the Pacific Concourse Project has generated a lot
of attention. This project is unique in that it requests
a zone change from MPD (Manufacturing) to RPD (Residential).
Upon notice of the project, the Del Aire community in the form
of over 49 letters to the planning commission and board of supervisors,
a petition of over 200 signatures and a public meeting, voiced
its concerns about density, traffic,
overflow and insufficient parking, impact on local schools, strain
on public resources, and overall quality of life issues generated
by the project.
The Planning Commission addressed the
community’s concerns at a third public hearing on October 6th
in downtown Los Angeles. Understanding the controversy stirred up by this project,
the commissioners were steadfast and fair in their acquisition
of the facts. At nearly the end of the three hour hearing, the
chairman, Mr. Bellamy, stated that he felt as if he were “in between
a rock and a hard place” because he understood the concerns of
the community but was very much pro-development. At that point
he directed the developers to meet with the community to discuss
concerns.
A community meeting was held on October
17th at the Del Aire Park and the Del Aire Neighborhood
Association was formed. Representing the community in its
opposition to the project, the Del Aire Neighborhood Association
began discussions with Trammell Crow as directed by the Planning
Commission.
The Planning Commission’s Decision:
On November 3,
2004,
the Planning Commission convened for the final hearing to determine its recommendation.
After all was said and done, the Planning Commission recommended
approval of the project. The next step will be for the project to go before the Board of
Supervisors, who will make the ultimate decision.
The Del Aire Neighborhood Association,
believing that the County intends to approve the project and not
having the resources to oppose the project, negotiated the following
conditions upon approval of the project:
1. Density: TCR will eliminate
20 units from the project, which is a reduction of 5%.
2. Ownership: TCR will
build the project to condominium standards to make possible a
subsequent application to the County for condominium conversions.
3. Parking: TCR will increase
its parking ratio for the units to meet County’s code requirement for multi-family
project not in the RPD. (805 spaces for 430 units)
4. Day Care Playground Equipment:
TCR will make a direct contribution to the Wiseburn School District in the amount of $66,500 to fully
fund construction of additional playground equipment for the day-care facilities at Juan de Anza
School.
5. Business Support: TCR
agrees to participate as an active business member of the DNA
and to assist and facilitate DNA’s outreach to the local business
community.
6. School Support: To
support arts, cultural education and sports programs within the
Wiseburn School District, TCR will contribute $25,000 per year
to the Wiseburn School Educational Foundation for three years (starting with first occupancy
of the project) for a total of $75,000 over three years.
7. Library Support: To
support extracurricular activities at the Wiseburn Library, TCR will contribute $10,000
per year for three years from the start date to a trust fund specifically
and exclusively to be used by the Wiseburn Library to incorporate and maintain
extracurricular activities for children, for a total of $30,000
over three years.
8. Neighborhood Benefits Committee
and Funding Direction: In addition to the above contributions,
TCR also agrees to contribute $150,000 and to participate in the
Neighborhood Benefits Committee. $50,000 will be earmarked for the modernization of the Del Aire Park.
Our voices and the hard work of several
individuals have enabled us to make the best of a “hard” and overwhelming
situation. Realizing that we are much stronger when we are
united, hopefully our community will continue to grow closer through inevitable adversity.