West Hollywood : Demolition Appeal Tabled

The City Council again tabled an appeal by Brass Properties to demolish two houses on Bonner Drive because the city wants to investigate claims by neighbors that the company may have mismanaged property it owns.

Brass Properties owns a vacant, single-family home on 8719 Bonner Drive and a vacant duplex across the street at 8712-14 Bonner. It plans to build two two-story buildings with two units each, consistent with the Mediterranean-style architecture of the street.

But residents fear that demolition of the properties and construction of new buildings will destroy the character of the neighborhood. At Monday night’s council meeting, they also said that 33 units owned by Brass have remained vacant and that empty lots have not been developed. This is the second time the council has tabled the appeal. The original permit request to demolish the houses, filed in August, was tabled to investigate the historical significance of the structures, which were built in the 1930s.

Brass official Lorraine Howell said that the houses are not historically significant, and that her company simply wants “to build two new structures to replace two old structures.” She said residents should not fear a change in the neighborhood.

“(Neighborhood residents) are not opposed to change,” Councilman John Heilman said. “They’re just opposed to getting jacked around.”

The City Council will decide on the appeal Feb. 21.