Downey : Firestone-Lakewood Blvd. Building Freeze Extended

The Downey City Council has passed an urgency ordinance to extend for another year a building moratorium on certain properties located along a corridor on Firestone and Lakewood boulevards.

Officials will use the time to conduct environmental and marketing studies to determine the type of development that will be most beneficial to the area.

A moratorium was first placed on the area a year ago, when renovation and new construction began at Stonewood Shopping Center. The move drew criticism from members of a Greek Orthodox congregation, which had an option to purchase property in the area and planned to build a church there. The option has since been purchased from the church by the city.

All property owners in the moratorium area have been notified of the extension and no one protested it, Downey officials said. The ordinance allows owners to apply to the Planning Commission for conditional use permits during the building ban.