A glimmer of hope?

This email from Erick Lopez, the city planner who seems to be in charge of the anti-mansionzation ordinances, isn't the answer to our desperate prayers. But it did give me pause.

It's not that the City did not think of this half of Silver Lake was worth protecting, it's that the scope of the project was limited to the Single-Family Zones (R1, RS, RE, and RA).  If the majority of the properties in that area are single-family dwellings, there are two ways to address your concern:

1) Rezone all of the properties from R2 to R1 (or some other appropriate Zone), which would also require a General Plan Amendment.

2) Establish similar Multi-Family Zone limitations as those in the Northeast Los Angeles Hillside Ordinance, with some changes to be more in line with the new Baseline Hillside Ordinance.

I don't want to give you the impression that either of these solutions is simple, or can be done quickly, but they are two potential options I can think of off the top of my head.

On a related and potentially useful topic, our Department is currently trying to build support to fund a comprehensive revision to the entire Zoning Code.  The R2 (or Duplex) Zone is one of the things that would be addressed in those efforts.  We are thinking of focusing more on the form of development and how that development fits in with its surroundings, in addition to the more conventional land use limitations.  One of the primary goals would be to create more of a results-oriented Code.

I hope this information helps.

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Wow. Lopez is suggesting that the zoning in our area can be changed - if not quickly, alas. I don't want to pop open a bottle of Champagne, but it's nice to know that one city planner seems to take grassroots action seriously. In practical terms I think it's time to bring our zoning problem before the (full) Silver Lake Neighborhood Council. We need to get moving on our community plan and our zoning.