January 13, 2007

Recent articles by Steve Lopez and Martha Groves of the L.A. Times have struck a chord with Westside residents.

Steve Lopez’ articles have focused on ever-increasing traffic in our area.  He specifically mentioned the JMB project the City and Jack Weiss have approved (and Tract 7260 is challenging in court).  The developer is claiming that 483 condos in 1,300,000 sqft, 106 combined stories with 1200 parking spaces will create LESS traffic than the previously existing mostly vacant lot with a 15,000 sqft mostly walk-up bank and 19,000 sqft seldom-used nightclub.

Steve Lopez also discussed the lunacy of allowing development now based on theoretical plans for future infrastructure which may or may not exist for decades if at all.

Martha Groves article discussed the new “Green” live/work/play plan for Century City.  Unfortunately, the portions of her article that referenced homeowner concerns were edited out of the article.  A response to the article can be seen below:

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Ms. Groves,

 

Your article begins with: "Century City was envisioned in the 1960s as a bold experiment in urban planning — a sleek, efficient "second downtown" of high-rise office buildings where the car was king."  This is simply not true.  Century City was envisioned as a mostly residential area with commercial property along Santa Monica Boulevard (see attached pictures). 

Further, planners always envisioned a subway stop, direct rail connection or freeway to handle traffic loads.  The quote that best illustrates the inaccuracy of the "second downtown" statement is the following on the intent of the primary designer of Century City: 

“Perhaps the most striking of all of Becket’s ideas was his concept of creating “wide green spaces” to prevent urban overcrowding of buildings and to separate Century City’s look from downtown Los Angeles .”

 

I have attached several articles, original Century City plans and a 1975 city traffic study that provide insight into the true origins of Century City.

 

Your article goes on to say "The vision — prompted by a looming boom in the construction of luxury condo towers — calls for a greener Century City that would be less about driving and more about walking."  The condos in question will cost upwards of $1,500 per square foot.  This is well outside the range of the vast, vast majority of Century City workers.  Mortgage payments would be upwards of $20,000 per month.  When mall employees struggle with $5/day parking, a $20,000 mortgage might be outside their reach.

 

It is also not credible to assume that Century City residents will throw away their cars and stay within the Century City boundaries.  I also strongly believe that the Century City mall would like as many people as possible from outside Century City to visit their property.  To say otherwise would simply not be credible.

 

Later in the article you mention "Another key element would be a station for the long-envisioned "subway to the sea" from downtown Los Angeles that would transport workers and tourists into the area."  Allowing development now for a subway station that is theoretical at best will doom current residents to massive congestion and reduced quality of life.  The time to allow additional development is AFTER transportation infrastructure (such as the subway) is in place and not before.  Anything else is crisis management and crisis management is bad management.  Perhaps transportation in West L.A. isn't a failure - it is just a success that hasn't happened yet.

 

The next section reads: "Included in the task force are representatives from key property owners and developers — JMB Realty, Trammell Crow Co., Westfield, Related Cos."  As there were NO residential property owners included and NO local HOA property owners included, the task force is more clearly described as developers, developers and planning.  It would be interesting to ask how many actual voters were involved in the discussions. It would also be interesting to ask how many high-powered lawyers were present.

 

Another section in your article requires some background.  The section reads: "'It is unusual that we're all collaborating and working in conjunction with the city,' said Bradley T. Cox, managing director of Trammell Crow."  

 

Three of these developers are represented by the same law firm.  This is the same law firm that is pushing numerous large development projects throughout the city and the same one that pushed through Playa Vista (which is creating a steady stream of traffic to Century City).  To suggest that developers have not been working together with the city is just a bit disingenuous.  With large contributions and access to every organ of city government, the law firms and their clients have worked with the city in ways that regular constituents can only dream of.
 

The section that reads "Beginning in the late 1950s, planners and architects laid out Century City on the 20th Century Fox Film Studios' back lot "with the idea that it was a car city," said William Fain, an urban design consultant working with the task force. Workers drove into below-ground parking garages, and elevators whisked them to their offices." is flawed in two primary ways.  First, Century City was envisioned as providing housing not for only the super-rich, but for ALL of the people who work there (see attached pictures). 

 

$1,500 per foot condos certainly are not affordable to all but the privileged few.  Second, Century City was designed around the concept that a FREEWAY, SUBWAY or other true mass-transit would be available.  No one envisioned an island of massive commercial development cut off from major freeways and mass transit, with Century City traffic flowing through once peaceful residential areas as arterials overflow.

 

The next section reads "Many other connectors, including pedestrian overpasses, called for in the Century City specific plan (CCNSP) were never finished. As a result, the district's long blocks — some of them 1,000 feet or longer — were daunting for pedestrians."  Ask yourself WHY the pedestrian corridors REQUIRED under the Specific Plan were never finished.  Why, when developers are making hundreds of millions of dollars, should the city and our elected officials not have demanded that the plan requirements be fulfilled.  Now that plan is being labeled a failure without having ever been implemented.

 

Local HOAs have depended on the specific plan to protect us against development.  Unfortunately, our elected officials have allowed development and projects that stretch the limits of that plan and go far beyond.  Fictional impact reports are simply rubber-stamped.

 

As an example, you mention JMB's new project (10131 Constellation).  What you failed to mention was that the city, as part of its approval, signed off on the outrageous contention that 483 condos in 106 combined stores and 1,300,000 square feet with 1200 parking spaces will create less traffic than a mostly vacant lot, small bank and seldom-used nightclub with a combined 60 parking spaces and 35,000 square feet.

 

The Century city North Specific Plan was designed to cap development based on traffic impacts. It is, in part, the basis for past and present lawsuits and development challenges.  That specific plan, the only protection against even more over-development, has clearly now become too restrictive for developers who want to maximize profits regardless of the cost to the residents and the city.

 

Let's not be fooled.  The development limits for the current specific plan for Century City are just now coming into effect.  Is it a coincidence that the developers now wish to revise this plan just as it would begin to restrict their ability to make money?   This new plan is nothing other than developers seeking cover to dismantle the existing specific plan, create larger projects, and create even more traffic - all based on a theoretical transportation infrastructure that is decades off at best.

 

Your article finishes with "Still, "greening" organizers are hopeful that their plan could work. "  Unfortunately, the only greening likely to occur from this plan is the greening of the bank accounts of the developers.

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Segments from the traffic study: