ECHO PARK : Vote Scheduled on Kite Hill Duplexes
The City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a West Los Angeles developer’s plan to build four duplexes on a scenic hillside that some local residents have fought to preserve.
Mark Kaufman, general partner of Avon Terrace Homes Ltd., has been trying to develop the area known as Kite Hill at 1450 Avon Place since he purchased the 1 1/2-acre lot in 1991, his attorney, Benjamin M. Reznik, has said.
Council members in May delayed voting on Kaufman’s proposal pending a possible compromise plan between Kaufman and residents from Echo Park and other surrounding communities. But an agreement seems to be far from sight, residents said.
The developer had offered to produce drawings to show that six houses, instead of four duplexes, could squeeze into 30,000 square feet of space on Kite Hill. In exchange, Kaufman would donate a part of the parcel--known as an ideal location for flying kites--to the city or a land conservancy for recreational use.
“It just doesn’t look any better,” said Susan Borden, member of a committee organized to protect Kite Hill. “It would be putting six houses into an area that’s extremely small.”
Neither Kaufman nor Reznik could be reached for comment.
Borden said the committee prefers a maximum of five single-family homes. That’s just one of 13 conditions committee members submitted to Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg.
Goldberg is expected to meet with Kaufman and the community before voting Wednesday, said Gerald Gubatan, Goldberg’s planning deputy.
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