STUDIO CITY : Audiotapes Sought in Zoning Dispute

Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs has requested audiotapes from hearings held in 1988 to help determine if a partially constructed Studio City condominium complex is in violation of city zoning ordinances.

“We’re looking for an oral agreement between the developer and the community made in 1988,” Tom Henry, planning deputy for Councilman Wachs, said Tuesday. Last week, Henry requested the Department of Building and Safety to investigate whether a 21-unit condominium complex under construction on Laurelwood Drive near Carpenter Avenue may exceed local height ordinances.

At issue, said David Lara, principal building inspector for the Department of Building and Safety, is the 1988 approval of the project, which placed a 35-foot height level on half of the complex and a 45-foot cap on the remainder.

Lara said if measured with the curb, the project exceeds the limits dictated by the Planning Department in 1988 and local zoning ordinances, but if measured from the grade of the hill, it does not.

“So far our preliminary findings show that the property falls outside the ordinances, and would not be affected,” Lara said. But, he added, no final ruling would be issued until Councilman Wachs’ office had completed its investigation.

Representatives from Ajit Development and Investment Inc., the project developer, said they are confident that the project does not violate any city zoning ordinances.

“We feel that we are OK,” said Ajit Mithaiwala, president of the company. Mithaiwala said the company’s architect has assured him that the project satisfies all relevant building and zoning requirements.

Henry said that depending on what is revealed in the tapes, he may request that the city attorney make a ruling on the intent of the planning official who approved the project in 1988. He said this would determine whether the building should be measured from the curb or from the slope of the hill.