Lawndale Schedules Meeting on General Plan

In an attempt to gain voter support for a newly written General Plan, the Lawndale City Council will hold a special meeting tonight to answer questions about the plan’s proposed development goals and how the city intends to achieve them.

The council adopted the General Plan by a 3-2 vote Dec. 17. But under city law, voters also have to approve the plan, now scheduled to appear on the April 14 ballot.

The plan proposes turning the worn Hawthorne Boulevard into a sparkling urban village, complete with movie theaters and sit-down restaurants. But some community activists have vowed to lobby against the plan because it does not prohibit the city from acquiring private property to encourage redevelopment.

Mayor Harold E. Hofmann and Councilman Larry Rudolph, who were unsuccessful in trying to postpone consideration of a redevelopment survey until after the election, voted against approval of the General Plan.