The Miracle Mile HPOZ advanced last week to the city council’s Planning Land Use and Management (PLUM) Committee with support from the Los Angeles Planning Commission.

Plans for larger, box-shaped homes, like the one on the right, will be more strictly scrutinized if the city council approves the Miracle Mile HPOZ.
(photo by Julia Gabrick)

The commission exempted lots north of Eighth Street, as well as some properties fronting Olympic Boulevard, and some parcels fronting Fairfax Avenue on the west side of Orange Grove Avenue that are south of Eighth Street.

Ken Hixon, vice president of the Miracle Mile Residential Association (MMRA), said their objective now is to “fight hard” to undo that change and include those lots in the HPOZ again. He noted that an independent inventory found that the now-exempt units are historically significant, and they include 261 rent stabilized units north of Eighth Street, and four properties that are nominated for the national registry, that the MMRA believes should be preserved.

“It’s almost as if the city planning department is talking out of both sides of its mouth,” Hixon said, referring to the city’s efforts to preserve rent-stabilized units that conflict with other efforts to densify.

But the MMRA board’s objectives are simplified now, as it is no longer “a matter of if we are a historic district,” Hixon said.

He emphasized that the Cultural Heritage Commission approved the HPOZ and agreed to the original boundaries, and that Councilman David Ryu, 4th District, is on record endorsing the plan as well.

“Now, the city planning commission agreed we qualify, recommended that we establish an HPOZ, and also endorsed our preservation plan,” he said.

The day before the planning commission considered the Miracle Mile HPOZ, the city council backed reforms to halt mansionization with the Baseline Mansionization and Hillside Ordinances, and set planning guidelines for the residential lots throughout the city. However, with an HPOZ – historic preservation overlay zone – the Miracle Mile community can create guidelines that cater to a more specific area’s character and history. That aspect is particularly attractive in a city that consists of dozens of neighborhoods with dozens architectural styles, and the HPOZ measure has become increasingly popular in neighborhoods like the Miracle Mile to help preserve historic character.

Ryu recently directed the planning department to clarify parts of the Miracle Mile HPOZ’s specific Preservation Plan – which regulates residential development within the zone – after opponents to the plan raised concerns that the language was too strict.

Afterwards, Ryu said his office would move forward with the HPOZ, while opponents – the “Say No HPOZ” group – said their concerns were not addressed.

“We’re going to continue to fight it,” said Jay Schoenfeldt, one of the leaders of the group. “Overall, the language is poorly drafted still.”

He said the HPOZ is being used incorrectly as a tool to stop mansionization, prevent growth and enforce rent stabilization.

“It’s a misuse of the tool,” Schoenfeldt said.

The PLUM Committee has not yet set a date to consider the HPOZ. Hixon said they expect it to be scheduled in January at the earliest.

Carthay Square establishes protections for historic homes

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved the Carthay Square HPOZ, establishing regulations for development for lots in the neighborhood deemed historically significant.

It became the 32nd HPOZ in Los Angeles, according to Ken Bernstein, principal city planner with the Department of City Planning.

The plan was set for approval earlier this month, but Councilman Paul Koretz, 5th District, wanted address concerns with multifamily lots along Olympic Boulevard.