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The village occupies just 3.4 acres along Barrington Avenue just
<br />south o~'Sunsct Boulevard. ]'he surrounding area is a mix of single-
<br />family.homes with larger-scale commercial and residential uses
<br />lining major houlevards. Brcntwood Village, in contrast, is a district
<br />carved into 40 small lots, its small-town charm defined by an
<br />eclectic mix of shops and restaurants.
<br /> Don Taylor, a Los Angeles cit'), planner and hearing examiner,
<br />says the council's action strikes a compromise among merchants,
<br />property owners, and Brenr, vood residents in surrounding neighbor-
<br />hoods. The zoning agreement halves the development densin,, allowed
<br />in Brentwood, restricting floor space to three-quarters of the lot size.
<br /> Current property owners, however, were granted grandfather
<br />rights, allowing them to renovate or rebuild up to the existing floor
<br />space and height of their buildings. Those rights are restricted to
<br />single lots, however, to prevent massing structures on several parcels,
<br />Taylor says. He notes that many of' the buildings in Brenrwood
<br />Village are "functionally obsolete," and the zoning agreement
<br />preserves property owners' right to upgrade their buildings.
<br /> "Thc agreement assures that the community can continue to
<br />enjoy the pedestrian-friendly atmosphere of the village," Taylor
<br />says. "At thc same time, existing property owners will not be
<br />penalized if they want to rebuild or improve their properties. The
<br />agreement accommodates both sides."
<br /> The zoning of Brentwood Village ignited an intense debate in
<br />1991, when city council member Marvin Braude proposed limiting
<br />the square footage of new buildings to three-quarters of the lot size.
<br />The Brcntwood Chamber of Commerce mounted strong opposi-
<br />tion, maintaining that many existing property owners would be out
<br />of conformance with the new regulations. In addition, some of the
<br />buildings in the village are nearly 50 years old and will require
<br />modernization or replacement, chamber members argued.
<br /> The Brentwood Homeowners Association, with 1,100 mem-
<br />bers, fought for the zoning restrictions to ensure that large-scale
<br />projects typical of nearby boulevards, such as the Wilshire Corridor,
<br />would be banned.
<br />
<br />Ellen Wo'lfe is a.free-lance writer in Los Angeles.
<br />
<br />N.J. Improves Site
<br />Standards
<br />
<br />New Jersey is boosting the creation of affordable housing and
<br />streamlining its development approval process through a new
<br />law signed by Gov, James Florio in February. The law aims to
<br />lower housing costs by making residential land development
<br />
<br />Zoning News is a monthly newsletter published by the American Planning/~sociadon,
<br />Subscriptions are available for $45 (U.S.) and $54 (foreign),
<br />Israel Stollman, Executive Director; Frank S. So, Deputy Executive Director.
<br />ZoningNew$ is produced al APA. Jim Schwab, Editor; Michael Barrette, Luke Bogash~
<br />Mark Booczko, Fay Dolnick, Sarah Dunn, Michelle Gregory, Marya Morris, Amy Van
<br />Doren, Reporters; Cynthia Cheskl, Assistant Editor~ Lisa Barton, De*ign and
<br />Production.
<br />
<br />Copyright ©1993 by American Planning Association, 1313 E. 60th Sr., Chicago, IL
<br />60637. The American Planning A~sociation has headquarters offices at 1776
<br />· Massachusetts Ave,, N.W,, Washington, DC 20036.
<br />All rights re~erved. No part of this publication niay be reproduced or utilized in any
<br />form or by any mean~, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or
<br />by any information ~torage and retrieval ~ysrem, without permission in writing from the
<br />American Planning Association.
<br />Printed on recycled paper, including 50-70% recycled fiber ~
<br />and 10% posrconsumer waste.
<br />
<br />practices more predictable and by establishing cost-effective and
<br />uniform site improvement standards, which will "represent a
<br />consensus of informed and interested parties and adequately
<br />address their concerns."
<br /> A 12-member Site Improvement Advisor3, Board, operating
<br />within the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), will
<br />develop the site standards. The board, which first met on July
<br />27, includes the DCA commissioner (nonvoting), the DCA
<br />housing division director, and 10 other members appointed by
<br />the commissioner to four-year terms. By law, these include two
<br />professional planners and eight representatives from designated
<br />statewide organizations.
<br /> The board must submit its recommendations by the end of next
<br />January (180 days from its first meeting), it is expected to follow
<br />the recommendations of the Model Subdivision and Site Plan
<br />Ordinancewritten for DCA by David Listokin and Carole Walker
<br />of the Center for Urban Policy and Research at Rutgers University
<br />(available from APA's Planners Bookstore for ,$54.95 [$49.95 for
<br />APA members and PAS subscribers]).
<br /> Although these standards supersede existing site improvement
<br />standards in local ordinances, they do not override local zoning
<br />powers or an), state laws, such as the Pinelands Protection Act. Also,
<br />a municipality or developer may seek a waiver of any sire improve-
<br />merit standard that it feels would jeopardize public health or safety.
<br /> Fa), Dohtick
<br />
<br />Call for Information
<br />
<br />Zoning News is seeking information on jurisdictions' experiences
<br />with zoning for highway interchanges for a future issue, as well as
<br />on the use of restrictive covenants by planning departments.
<br />Ordinances, planning documents, and related materials are
<br />welcome and should be sent to: Jim Schwab, Editor, Zoning News,
<br />A_PA, 1313 E. 60th St., Chicago IL 60637.
<br />
<br /> Reports
<br />Paths to Approval:
<br />Overcoming Obstacles to Bay
<br />Area Housing Development
<br />
<br />The Residential Approval
<br />Process: Development
<br />Regulation in the Bay Area
<br />Rolf Pendall. Bay Area Counci~ 200 Pine St., Suite 300, San Fran-
<br />cisco, CA 94104. May 1993. 16pp. Free; 164pp. $25, respectively.
<br /> The speed and efficiency with which local governments process
<br />and'approve development applications is always a prime topic of
<br />disdussion'for planners and developers. This study uses data from 33
<br />Bay Area jurisdictions to determine how environmental impact
<br />requirements, general plan amendments, and other considerations
<br />affect the appr6val process. One interesting finding: Most jurisdic-
<br />tions process proposals for affordable housing faster than those for
<br />market-rate housing, but a few use the process to stymie the
<br />introduction of affordable housing into their communities. The first
<br />volume above is a summary; the second details the specific statistical
<br />findings and includes case studies of individual communities.
<br />
<br />
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