Torrance Heeds Protest, Puts Off Demolition Ban

Nearly 400 builders, developers and homeowners crowded the Torrance City Council Chambers on Tuesday night to protest a proposed 120-day moratorium on demolishing single-family houses to make way for new construction.

After nearly five hours of testimony, the council put off action on the proposal and instead instructed the city staff to recommend size limits for single-family homes and a process for reviewing construction plans.

More than 30 contractors, builders and developers who spoke before the council said they oppose the moratorium because it would hurt their businesses.

“Please consider everyone concerned,” said Bob Basen, a longtime resident and builder. “A moratorium will affect developers, architects, engineers, demolishing contractors . . . and they all have employees with families and bills to pay.”

Would Bar Additions

Several new homeowners said they also oppose the moratorium because it would keep them from building additions to their houses.

Clark Ashton, who has lived on West 231st Street for eight years, said he has five children and needs to add bedrooms to accommodate them. “People today want larger houses,” he said.

But Mike Mauno, one of the dozen or so residents who spoke in favor of the moratorium, rejected the builders’ arguments, saying the city’s first priority is to “protect the homeowner in this demolition frenzy.”

The proposal was intended to stop the demolition and construction of single-family houses while the city staff continues a three-month study on imposing new size and height limits.

It is still not clear what the limits will be or when they will be determined, said Janet Pryor, associate planner for the city.

Felt Not Necessary

Several builders and developers said they do not oppose new size and height standards but feel that a moratorium is not necessary. One builder compared the proposal to “closing all the roads in the city while you study the traffic problem.”

The search for new standards was prompted by residents’ complaints that oversized single-family houses are being built on small lots throughout the city. City officials said that since January they have received 160 calls and letters from residents saying that the large houses increase density and traffic and encroach on neighbors’ privacy, view and sunlight.

The issue of increased density in residential areas has been debated in cities throughout Southern California. The debate usually pits longtime residents against builders and developers who try to build larger houses in order to maximize profits.

“We can continue heavy growth or we can hold our ground and preserve a little bit of Torrance,” said Joe Carrier, a 30-year Torrance resident. “Some people call (the construction of large houses) progress. I call it the lowering of the neighborhood’s standards.”

Council members agreed that while new standards are being studied, the city needs to limit the construction of such oversized houses.

‘Flood of Phone Calls’

Councilman Mark Wirth said he understood the fiscal impact a moratorium might have on some businesses but also had to take into consideration the “flood of phone calls and letters from residents” concerned about oversized houses in the city.

The city Planning Department gave the council four moratorium alternatives. One option would simply ban demolition of single-family homes. Another would require a public hearing and city approval of all demolition permits. A third would include a moratorium on demolition of more than 500 square feet or 75% of the structure, whichever is larger. The fourth option would prohibit any demolition that would facilitate adding more than 500 square feet to the house.

Instead of enacting one of the options, the council asked the city staff to recommend a way for the city to review construction plans for single-family houses.

It is still unclear how such a system would work or how long it would be in effect, but city officials said they will calculate a floor-area-to-lot-area ratio and impose a special review process for construction plans that exceed the ratio.

Other plans would probably move through the city’s regular approval process, Pryor said.

Some Exemptions

The council also voted to exempt from the proposed review process 48 remodeling projects for which permits are being approved. It took no action on another 56 single-family demolition projects that are awaiting city approval, according to Building and Safety Director Ralph Grippo.

The city has about 32,000 single-family homes on lots totaling about 4,000 acres. From 1987 through mid-April, the city granted 162 residential demolition permits.

Before the meeting, builders, construction workers, contractors, developers and their families picketed in front of the council chambers, wearing yellow armbands to protest the proposed moratorium. When the meeting began, the crowd filled the chambers and spilled into the halls.

Brian Burrescia, a Torrance developer, told the council: “This talk of moratoriums makes me very nervous because there are no more empty lots in Torrance, and the only thing to do is to demolish and rebuild.”

But a woman who supports the moratorium said that without it, developers will “destroy the ambiance of the area with large homes on small lots.”

After the meeting, some builders expressed relief that a moratorium was not imposed but said the debate is not over.

“We got nothing. We got a continuance,” Basen said. “But I guess no news is good news.”

Mauno, who spoke in favor of the moratorium, said the proposal for a review process was also a good idea that would allow the city to limit the construction of large single-family houses.

“It hit the nail right on the head,” he said.