Braude, Upset Over Mix-Ups, Seeks Review of Condo Project

Embarrassed for the third time by construction permit mix-ups at a Woodland Hills condominium site, a Los Angeles city councilman has called for an internal investigation into the problem--and for a new public hearing into the project.

Councilman Marvin Braude has asked city planning officials to scrutinize zoning laws that apply to the West Hills Condominiums so they can decide once and for all whether the project is too tall, too wide or deficient in parking spaces.

Residents living in a 30-year-old neighborhood beneath the hilltop project, who are angry about their view of the partially built, 80-unit complex, have charged that the project is all three.

But each time city building officials answered one of the homeowners’ accusations, they stumbled across previously overlooked zoning requirements that raised new questions in the residents’ minds.

Wants Investigation

An exasperated Braude revealed Monday that he has requested that city Chief Zoning Administrator Franklin P. Eberhard review the case “to interpret a number of issues which have arisen” with construction of the $7.5-million third and final phase of the townhouse project.

Braude also called for a new public hearing on the case--which officials thought was settled during a series of City Hall hearings that concluded in 1978.

Delighted homeowners quickly praised Braude’s action. But the project’s developers said an investigation and hearing are not necessary.

“This might put us in the driver’s seat,” said Sid Perry, a Kelvin Avenue resident who has helped lead opposition to the development. “It seems amazing to us that there have been all these ‘mistakes’ found with this project. It’s odd that all these ‘mistakes’ seem to favor the developer.”

Development partner James R. Gary reiterated his contention that the townhouse project is fully legal. He also disputed the need for a new hearing.

“What would the purpose be? It’s already built,” Gary said. “This is nonsense. The building was approved by the city. At some point you’ve got to say the zoning is right, the height is right.”

Confusion Began in 1988

The first 10 years of the Ventura Boulevard condominium construction project were uneventful. The confusion began last year, when homeowners asked Braude about the third and final phase.

In May, city building officials notified Braude that the entire project was completed, fully occupied and heavily landscaped. “All 80 units have been constructed,” wrote a Building and Safety Department manager, adding that the occupancy permit for the final 24-unit phase had been issued Feb. 10, 1987.

In fact, construction of the final phase did not begin until last fall.

Last month, when homeowners complained that the new units were being built closer to their homes than the 1978 building permit allowed, a check by inspectors discovered that parts of the structure exceeded their 45-foot height limit.

But last week, inspectors discovered that a 1983 Ventura Boulevard height limit ordinance actually allows buildings up to 75 feet tall at the site. The ordinance--aimed at commercial buildings, not condominiums--also requires that one parking space be set aside for every 300 feet of enclosed space.

Perry said that means the new building is required to have about 200 parking spaces instead of the about 65 planned. The deficiency may cause officials to require that a portion of the building be torn down, he suggested.

Gary said he is convinced the building meets all conditions of the 1983 ordinance. Last month, he escorted homeowner representative Paula Corby on a tour of the project in an effort to prove that the condominiums will be a good neighbor.

“They keep trying to apply these different tests to us, hoping we’ll eventually fail one of them,” he said.

The mushrooming confusion is getting ridiculous, said Cindy Miscikowski, chief aide to Braude.

“This case has gotten more and more bizarre,” she said Monday. “I hope there will be nothing else to be uncovered.”