New Zoning Plan Is in the Works
Two years after Lawndale voters upended the city’s General Plan, the City Council on Tuesday reviewed a new plan that would make Hawthorne Boulevard an urban and social center of shops, restaurants and plazas.
The new plan, which would govern all zoning and development in the city, was drafted after voters in November, 1989, rejected the 1976 General Plan on grounds that it was outdated. The vote left Lawndale without a General Plan and led officials to temporarily halt the issuance of building permits.
In December, 1989, the state Office of Planning and Research allowed Lawndale to issue building permits under the 1976 guidelines while the city worked out a new plan.
Under the draft plan, Hawthorne Boulevard would be transformed into an urban village of shops and plazas and become the focal point of the city.
“It would be a viable economic and social center the city could be proud of,” consultant George Williamson said. The central corridor would attract new developments that would stimulate tax revenue, he said.
The plan would also provide a balance of single and multifamily housing, and would improve the overall quality of housing, Williamson said.
The plan will face a public hearing before final action by the council. If it is approved by the council, it would be put before voters.
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