Proposed La Crescenta mixed-use development heads to L.A. County planners
A proposed mixed-use project in La Crescenta along Foothill Boulevard will move forward to the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning after the Crescenta Valley Town Council recommended approval of the development with a 7-2 vote last Thursday.
Developer YST Investment plans to replace an existing two-story commercial building and 10 residential units on adjacent lots with a townhouse and mixed-use project.
The lot located at 3043 Foothill Blvd. would be the site of 18 condominium units in a three-story building with roughly 9,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and two levels of underground parking.
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The lot at 3037 Foothill would have a three-story building with 29 townhouses and ground-level parking.
The proposal has gone through several committee meetings and community presentations, even resulting in a petition demanding an environmental impact report and traffic study be conducted.
Numerous changes were made by principal designer Sean Mo, including the preservation of three nearby oak trees, a switch from a pitched to a flat roof to accommodate a better view for neighbors and reduction of roof deck units based on privacy concerns.
Although the project is exempt from a traffic study, the developer went ahead with one to allay neighbors’ concerns.
After presenting the changes and adhering to Community Standards District provisions — with the exception of the pitched roof — the Crescenta Valley Land Use Committee and later the Town Council moved to recommend approval of the project.
Los Angeles County planning officials will now decide the future of the project.
“I initially walked into this meeting and was going to vote ‘no’ on it because I’m from this area, and I understand when neighbors say they don’t want development and growth, I get that,” Councilwoman Leslie Dickson said. “I changed my mind after seeing that [Mo] made accommodations in other ways.”
Dickson recommended the project with the caveat that there be no street parking in front of the nearby Walgreens to make it easier for left turns exiting the property.
Council President Harry Leon, who along with Councilman Brandon Lee voted against recommending the project, said that although he applauds the developer’s work with the community, he did not want to see what he considers overdevelopment in the area.
“I’m concerned because of the density and the environmental impact it might have on our area,” Leon said. “They have a right to build but, for me, it’s about the impact that it’s going to do.”
The developer plans to submit the environmental impact report and traffic study to the county. A preliminary traffic assessment shows a decrease in overall traffic volume, according to Mo.
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Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com
Twitter: @JeffLanda
