Notice of Public Hearing

Some jerk-off in my neighborhood wants to tear down a charming little house and build a 6-unit condominium with 14 parking spaces all on 6000 square feet of property. Our house is within 500 feet of the proposed project so we were invited to participate in a hearing on the matter. The day before the hearing I got online to check the agenda just to ensure it was going forward as planned. I didn't find the case on the list so I rang the number provided in the notice. True to government fashion the contact person provided on the notice was on vacation until July 8th and, of course, there's nobody else to confirm the schedule. Dare I ask why such a person is charged with correspondence if they aren't available? The meetings are held in the middle of the day, in downtown LA. I vacillated about whether or not to make the trek and in the optimistic end I did. The 3 parking lots surrounding City Hall cost $16.00 to park and I might have paid it except they were each full. So all my effort was futile. After driving around for 30 minutes looking for a spot I gave up. I suspect that making things so prohibitive is the goal so the council can push their pet projects through without fear of reprisal.

I am opposed the condo for a handful of reasons. I know I have to live with progress but "monstrification" creates an aesthetic problem for the neighborhood - a small, historic little enclave. Gigantic structures are out of place not to mention how it encroaches on neighboring plots jeopardizing privacy and quality of life. The tiny street is already congested with 4 other giant apartment buildings which causes double parking issues and overflow onto adjacent streets. We reside on the cul-de-sac at the end of the street where these monsters sit so people use it as a turnabout; their cars come screaching around the bend only to speed off to their destination. More people means more trash - also a problem on our block. Since many of the tenants are not homeowners there seems to be a lack of pride in the neighborhood. There's plenty of litter in general but also the trash cans do not get pulled off the curb in an appropriate timeframe, rather they are left out sometimes all week long.

Presumably, the goal of this developer is to sell the units off. But what if he can't? Will they be leased? Who will rent them? Section 8 recipients? A transient element with no personal investment can and often does change the landscape for the worse. I'm getting ever closer to moving to the moon.