Yaroslavsky Proposes Creating Historic Zone in Fairfax District : Preservation: Move is meant to maintain the neighborhood’s architectural flavor and block gentrification by commercial projects.

City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky on Monday called for the establishment of a historic preservation zone in the Fairfax district to protect the 70-year-old neighborhood from what he said was the threat of gentrification posed by several large commercial developments nearby.

Yaroslavsky’s proposal would affect 4,000 to 5,000 homes and small apartment buildings in an area of slightly more than a square mile.

If the area is designated as a historical preservation overlay zone, as Yaroslavsky proposes, property owners would need the consent of a neighborhood committee before tearing down, expanding or drastically renovating their buildings.

Yaroslavsky said the preservation zone is necessary to maintain the distinct architectural character of the tree-shaded neighborhood, which is dominated by modest-sized buildings of Spanish Colonial, Tudor and other distinctive styles.

In recent years, to the dismay of neighbors, some of these houses have been torn down and replaced by large, two-story residences that fill the lots and dwarf everything on the block.

“A homeowner is entitled to do what he wants with his property within limits, and the limits are that it be compatible with the surrounding area,” Yaroslavsky said. “This is a concentration of unique and significant buildings, and they should be not overshadowed by a turkey.”

Yaroslavsky’s home is part of a historical zone that would be part of the new, larger area.

The most immediate threat to the neighborhood, he said, are the large commercial projects planned at the Farmers Market, the May Co. store at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, and the Park Labrea apartment complex--all in an area represented by council President John Ferraro. A shopping center at the Farmers Market was approved over Yaroslavsky’s objection earlier this year, and City Council approval for the other two projects is pending.

Yaroslavsky said that he plans to bring the proposal to the council today, but it would not go into effect until consultants prepare an inventory of all properties involved and the council approves it--a process that would take 12 to 18 months.

The inventory would cost $25 a parcel, or about $100,000, Yaroslavsky said. He said that he expects his colleagues to approve the proposed zone, which lies entirely within his district.

If approved, the historic zone would be the city’s largest. Other such zones have been established for Angelino Heights near Dodger Stadium, for Melrose Hill in Hollywood and for Wilton Place in Hancock Park.

Yaroslavsky also proposed to reduce to two stories from three the height limit for new buildings on commercial streets in the area, including portions of La Cienega and Beverly boulevards, Fairfax and La Brea avenues, Melrose Avenue and 3rd Street.

The councilman announced the plan at a press conference attended by representatives of the Los Angeles Conservancy and several neighborhood groups from the area, which extends roughly from La Cienega Boulevard east to Highland Avenue, and from Rosewood Avenue south to 6th Street on the western portion and to 3rd Street on the east.

The odd-shaped zone surrounds the Farmers Market and Park Labrea properties.

Conspicuous by her absence at the press conference was Diana Plotkin, president of the Beverly Wilshire Homes Assn., a neighborhood group whose territory includes much of the same area.

“I think it’s a very interesting move on the part of a councilman who intends to run for reelection. He obviously is starting to run early,” said Plotkin, who has tangled with Yaroslavsky over development issues for years.

“I really don’t see the purpose of this at this point of time. He didn’t think of this when commercial development was going in . . . and now he’s going to protect the architecture. I find that very interesting,” she said.

Jay Rounds, executive director of the conservancy, hailed the proposal, saying that it was an excellent way to protect architectural and property values.

“This is not a ‘there’s no there there’ kind of place,” Rounds said, appropriating Gertrude Stein’s famous put-down of Oakland. “This is a ‘there’ kind of place.”

Renee Weitzer, a planning aide to Ferraro, said that he would have no immediate comment on the proposal. She said that Ferraro, who pushed through a scaled-down version of the Farmers Market development, has not taken a position on the Park Labrea-May Co. proposal.

Fairfax District Historical Preservation Zone City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky has proposed that the Fairfax District be designated a historical preservation zone. Propertyowners would need approval before razing or drastically renovating their properties. About4,000 houses-most of them in the Spanish Colonial style-and several apartmenthouses would be covered by the plan. Height limitations would also be imposed along commerical streets.