County supervisors OK Del Aire
project
Developer can build 430-unit apartment complex despite opposition
of one homeowners group.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005, By Alison Shackelford,
Copley News Service
The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday finalized its approval of
a controversial 430-unit apartment complex to be built in the Del
Aire neighborhood east of Hawthorne.
Although many residents still staunchly oppose the project,
representatives for the developer said they have addressed community
concerns as much as possible.
At the request of Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Trammell Crow
representatives have been meeting with Del Aire's two community
groups since the board granted the developer preliminary approval in
April.
However, one group, the Del Aire Homeowners Association, remains so
vocally opposed to the apartment complex that last week it hired an
attorney who might help residents sue.
Association President Fernando Zeledon said the group would much
prefer to see a commercial development built, as was originally
planned.
"We asked for evidence as to how this residential project would
benefit a community strapped for social services, like police and
schools, and we're really not satisfied with anything they've told
us," he said. At meetings of 50 to 60 people -- and protests with up
to 120 residents -- the group has consistently advocated eliminating
the residential project, Zeledon said.
Trammell Crow has committed to paying $1.25 million in standard
development fees as well as an additional $322,000 in voluntary
contributions to community resources that will benefit residents in
both unincorporated Del Aire and the nearby city of Hawthorne.
Michael Genthe, managing director of Trammell Crow, called it "the
most regulated project I've worked on in my career," and said that
short of canceling the project, "we've addressed as many concerns as
we can."
Supervisor Burke said she hopes to hear some specific suggestions
from the community about how Trammell Crow could improve the
residential project. |
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