Wilmington : Building Moratorium OKd

A proposal to prohibit construction of high-density apartment buildings for at least one year in Wilmington and Harbor City has been approved by the Los Angeles Planning Commission, bringing it a step closer to expected passage by the City Council by the end of March.

With the unanimous support of the four commission members present, the proposed moratorium was approved with several changes, including a provision that would make the ordinance retroactive to March 6, the date of the commission hearing, rather than after passage by the council.

Under the commission’s proposal, developers had to submit their plans to the city by March 6 to be exempt from the ordinance, except in hardship cases. Developers would have to begin construction within 120 days of the March 6 deadline, rather than within 360 days as previously proposed.

The moratorium would still allow developers to build up to one unit per 1,500 square feet of lot--in effect cutting density by half.

In other changes, the commission allowed the moratorium to be effective for one year, as previously proposed, but reduced its permitted two 180-day extensions to one.

Commissioners also included a provision that allows them to review alL applications for hardship exemptions before they go to the City Council.

The moratorium proposal was introduced in mid-February by Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores, representative for Wilmington and Harbor City.