Council Panel to Consider UCLA-Area Building Curbs

The proposed building moratorium for housing areas north and east of UCLA will be heard by the City Council’s Planning and Environmental Committee on Tuesday in City Hall.

If acted upon by the committee, the moratorium could go to the City Council for final approval as early as Wednesday, according to a spokesman for Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky.

Yaroslavsky is advocating the moratorium to halt replacement of small, low-profile apartments with large, more expensive apartment complexes.

The moratorium, lasting up to 18 months, would give the city time to complete revision of the Westwood master plan. Yaroslavsky said the revised plan almost certainly will contain some down-zoning.

Residents in the area contend that new building around UCLA is removing affordable housing for faculty, students and employees of the university.

The City Planning Commission on Thursday approved the moratorium but extended the deadline for demolition permits from Aug. 2 to Aug. 14. Yaroslavsky had advocated Aug. 2, the day he introduced the moratorium in the City Council.

Bob Breall, president of the North Westwood Village Residents Assn., said the extended deadline will allow for at least one more demolition in the North Village, bounded by Gayley, LeConte and Veteran Avenues.

“No, we are not happy,” Breall said after the commission action. “We wanted to stop the 12 demolition permits issued as of Aug. 2. What will happen now is that more people will be evicted and their residences will be demolished.”

Daniel Garcia, chairman of the planning commission, said the extension was imposed so as not to penalize property owners who had already received city permission to redevelop their property.