STUDIO CITY : Condo Project’s Height Investigated

Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs has asked the city Department of Building and Safety to investigate whether a partially constructed Studio City condominium complex is in violation of city zoning ordinances.

Tom Henry, planning deputy for Wachs, said a 21-unit project under construction on Laurelwood Drive near Carpenter Avenue may exceed local height ordinances.

Officials at the Department of Building and Safety confirmed that the project is under investigation, but said no decision has been reached.

“We’re investigating,” said David Lara, principal building inspector at the Van Nuys division of the department. “We’re looking into the question of whether the building is over height.”

Representatives from Ajait Development and Investment Inc., the project developer, could not be reached for comment.

At issue, Lara said, is the 1988 approval of the project, which placed a 35-foot height limit on approximately half of the complex and a 45-foot cap on the remainder. “The height depends on where the actual measurement comes from--from the street or from the grade of the hill,” Lara said. He said if measured from the curb, the project exceeds the height limits dictated by the Planning Department in 1988 and local zoning ordinances, but if measured from the grade of the hill it does not.

Lara said the city attorney may ultimately have to rule in the case.

“Worst case? The building might have to lose a story,” he said. “Or, they may need to apply for a variance.”