Owners of Condo Site File Suit to Block March 26 Zoning Election in Temple City

The owners and developer of a proposed condominium site have sued to block a March 26 special election to decide whether the property’s multiple-family zoning should be rescinded.

Hiroshi and Lillie Komai and Fairhaven Development Corp. of Arcadia filed a complaint in Superior Court in Los Angeles alleging that supporters of the referendum drive, which is aimed at stopping the 18-unit development on the northeast corner of Lower Azusa Road and Golden West Avenue, acted unconstitutionally because they did not try to stop a similar development across the street from the Komai property.

Defendants in the complaint include the city, referendum organizer Patricia Bogle and 2,499 unspecified co-defendants. Nearly 1,900 residents signed the petition for the zoning repeal, which led the City Council to call a special election to decide the issue. City Atty. Charles Martin said the city will not cancel the election unless ordered to by the court.

Ironically, Bogle said her original intention was not to halt Komai’s condominium project, but to stop the extension of Golden West Avenue to Lower Azusa Road. Extension of the road by the developer was required by the city as a condition of the zone change from single-family residences.

Residents on Golden West feared that extending the street another 350 feet to link it with busy Lower Azusa Road would increase traffic and noise. Blocking just one of the condominium projects was enough to at least temporarily stop the road extension, Bogle said, adding that the second project was not approved until after she had begun her referendum campaign, the first in Temple City’s 24-year history.