HAPPY NEW YEAR!
"Eagle Rock: Where land use and
planning is a contact sport"
THE EAGLE ROCK
ASSOCIATION
-- e.letter --
January 3, 2002
In this issue:
1. VICTORY!! -- PLANNING DEPARTMENT AGREES WITH
TERA'S POSITION ON WALGREENS!!
2. SIGN THE WALGREENS PETITION -- ONLY A NAME
AND ADDRESS NEEDED!
3. RELEVANT LOS ANGELES TIMES EDITORIAL
4. ROCK TEEN CENTER CELEBRATES FIRST
ANNIVERSARY
5. MORE COMMENTS FROM WALGREENS PETITION
SIGNERS
6. (INVISIBLE) FROM ANGEL ISLAND TO THE
UNDERGROUND ECONOMY -- ART EXHIBIT
7. LETTERS AND E.MAILS
8. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
----------
1. VICTORY!! -- PLANNING DEPARTMENT AGREES
WITH TERA'S POSITION ON WALGREENS!!
We
are very pleased and proud to announce that the Los Angeles City Planning
Department has issued a letter informing the developers of the Walgreens
project that the project is not in compliance with the Specific Plan,
precisely as TERA has asserted. This is
great news, but it is only one step in the right direction. We still have much work to do, so stay
tuned, stay involved, and SIGN THE PETITION BELOW if you haven't
already!
The
full and exact text of the Planning Department's letter to the developers is as
follows:
December
20, 2001
Michael
Marino/James Shuemacker
FCD
Realty & Development IV, LLC
523
West 6th Street, #716
Los
Angeles, CA 90012
Dear
Messrs. Marino and Schuemacker:
Upon
further review, the with consultation with the Department of Building and
Safety regarding definitions, the Streetwall indicated on Exhibit A of the
Project Permit (DIR 2001-3476-SPP) issued on September 13, 2001 does not fully
meet the requirements of Sections 7 (Buildings Standards regarding Streetwall)
of the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan.
Without a conforming Streetwall, the design of the project as indicated
on Exhibit A would also not meet Section 13 F of the Specific Plan which
prohibits parking on portions of lots located between the front lot line and
any portion of a building which fronts on Eagle Rock Boulevard or Colorado
Boulevard.
Under
Section 11.5.7 of the LAMC, two procedures exist that could allow the project
to move forward. The first is a
modification of the Project Permit and the second is a Specific Plan Exception. These options are discussed, further, below.
Project
Permit Modification
Modification
of the design of the project to provide the Streetwall, as required by Section
7A of the Specific Plan, would address both of the issues above. Provision of a Streetwall, as defined by the
Specific Plan, would eliminate conflicts with the parking provisions in Section
13 and satisfy the requirements of Section 7.
The modified project would have to be approved under a Project Permit
Modification. A Project Permit
Modification is a Director's Determination that the modified project is in
substantial conformance with the original Project Permit and is consistent with
the Specific Plan.
Modification
of the design of the proposed project to meet the Streetwall requirement
requires that a 'building wall' be oriented toward Eagle Rock Boulevard and
Colorado Boulevard and be of a length of no less than 75 percent of street
frontage. The City Planning Department
is relying on the Department of Building and Safety to interpret the term
"building wall.' Recent
consultation with the Building and Safety Department regarding this project
indicate a 'building wall" definition that is satisfied by a structure
with a roof and that is at least ten-feet in depth.
Processing
of a Project Permit Modification would take approximately twenty-five to
seventy days, inclusive of appeal periods (any appeal would be decided by the
East Los Angeles Area Planning Commission).
This period includes ten days to prepare the Director's Determination ,
a two-week appeal period, and 45 days for notice and the Area Planning
Commission to rule on an appeal, if filed.
Under the authority of Section 245 of the City Charter, the City Council
could assert jurisdiction over any decision of the Area Planning Commission within
five City Council meeting days.
Specific
Plan Exception
The
second option for consideration is filing of a Specific Plan Exception to
request waiver of the streetwall requirement.
The Specific Plan Exception process is intended to provide relief for
properties from provisions of the Specific Plan that result in an undue
hardship, because of such conditions as unusual site configuration. Under a Specific Plan Exception, if
approved, the project could be designed as indicated in Exhibit A. Should a Specific Plan Exception be
considered, the applicant is advised to consider all provisions of the Specific
Plan from which they seek a waiver, prior to filing.
Specific
Plan Exceptions are granted by Area Planning Commissions, in this case the East
Los Angeles Area Planning Commission.
Should this option be pursued, the City Planning Department will prepare
a recommendation directly to the Area Planning Commission for their public
hearing and decision. Processing time
for a Specific Plan Exception will be approximately 150 days inclusive of
appeal periods and after obtaining any additional environmental clearance. This includes 45 days to process the
Specific Plan Exception and bring it before the APC, a two-week appeal period
after APC action, and 90 days for the City Council (the appellant body for a
Specific Plan Exception) to act on any appeal.
Please
contact me if you have any questions or need further information.
Sincerely,
CON
HOWE
Director
of Planning
ROBERT
H. SUTTON
Deputy
Director
cc: Councilmmember Pacheo, CD 14
Andrew Adelman, Building and Safety
Dave Gay, Planning Department
The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)
The Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce
E.R.C.P.R.
----------
2. SIGN THE WALGREENS PETITION -- ONLY A
NAME AND ADDRESS NEEDED!
* I
support positive economic development in Eagle Rock, which benefits business
and residents alike.
* I
support development that respects Eagle Rock's architectural history and
"hometown" feel.
* I
welcome Walgreens into our community, as long as Walgreens honors what we, the
people, want.
* If
Walgreens decides to locate in our community, I DO NOT want Walgreens to
demolish the Shopping Bag building and erect a corporate cookie-cutter
structure surrounded by a vast parking lot.
* If
Walgreens decides to locate in our community, I DO want Walgreens to
restore and occupy the Shopping Bag building at 2222 Colorado Boulevard.
My
name and address are:
My
additional comments are:
Send
your petition to us at artburn@earthlink.net. Pass it on to others in Eagle Rock, Northeast Los Angeles, and
the 14th District. Thanks!
----------
3. RELEVANT LOS ANGELES TIMES EDITORIAL
The
following editorial appeared in the December 27, 2001, issue of the Los
Angeles Times:
CURE
THE SALES TAX ADDICTS
Give
most cities or counties in California the choice of having a housing
development, a business park, an auto mall or a Wal-Mart and they'll
pick the auto mall or the Wal-Mart every time. Never mind that the
latter two eat up a lot of land, are ugly and cause traffic congestion.
Forget that the business park would bring in higher-salaried workers. Or that a
nice new residential neighborhood would add stability to the community.
It's
all about the sales tax. Cities and counties get back one cent in sales tax
revenue for every dollar spent within their borders. They love auto malls and 'big box' stores because they
generate a lot of revenue.
Proposition
13, passed 23 years ago, slashed the property tax that local government had
depended on to pay for police and fire protection, sidewalks, street lights and
other municipal services. Nowadays, housing tracts are a drag for local
government. Most of the property tax goes to the state, and the locality is
still stuck with financing the usual residential services. It's the same for
business parks, because the employees' state income tax goes to Sacramento.
Sterile auto malls and traffic-clogging big boxes are a public planner's
nightmare, but local governments love them.
Typically,
growing suburban areas offer all sorts of incentives to lure high-sales-tax
retailers, leaving behind abandoned malls and failing retail centers on Main
Street. Neighboring jurisdictions
often suffer from increased traffic generated by the new businesses but get
none of the tax benefits.
'There
is an endless chase for the sales tax,' says Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg
(D-Sacramento). The first modest step toward a solution is before the state
Legislature now in the form of AB 680 by Steinberg, a former Sacramento City
Council member.
Steinberg's
bill provides that beginning in 2003, cities, towns and counties in a
six-county region surrounding Sacramento allocate local sales tax revenues in
new ways. The change would apply only to growth in the 1% local sales tax. The
first third would be distributed as now, on the basis of sales within the city
or county. Another third would be distributed by population in the six counties
and their cities. The final third would reward towns and counties that meet
certain goals for construction of affordable housing, caring for the homeless
and sensible land-use planning.
Opponents,
including the League of California Cities, are certain to attack the bill. But
here are the choices: The cities and counties can begin working with the
Legislature to fix the state-local fiscal mess. Or fed-up environmental and
good-government groups will sponsor a ballot initiative to fix it without
giving local officials a voice. [Emphasis
added.]
[Editor's
note: Substitute "Walgreens" for "Wal-Mart" and we might
just know what's really going on here.
Walgreens could restore the Shopping Bag building, reap its own tax
rewards for doing so, and still generate the same amount of tax revenue
for the City of Los Angeles.]
----------
4. ROCK TEEN CENTER CELEBRATES FIRST
ANNIVERSARY
On Saturday, January 12, 2002 at 1 PM, an
Anniversary Celebration will be held at the Reach Our Community Kids (ROCK)
Teen Center, located at 1597 Yosemite Drive in Eagle Rock. The occasion
celebrates the Teen Center's first full year of operation. Highlights of the
day's events include a dedication to benefactor Vince Grater; the grand
opening of the Teen Center's new Computer Technology Center (CTC), and a
farewell tribute to founding Executive Director Cathy Miller.
ROCK,
which was initially organized in 1999, is a volunteer organization, born out of
the community's need for teen services. The organization is dedicated to
improving the lives and character of community youth, between the ages of 12
and 19, through the Teen Center and its programs. The center provides the only
off-campus, after-school learning and skills development programs, specifically
for high school teens within the community. The facility was acquired last year
through a joint gifting of the Grater Family Trust to ROCK and the Catholic
Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Vince Grater, the ROCK's benefactor, passed
away in July 2001. At the event, he will be honored through the placement of a
plaque on the building.
Also
to be celebrated at the reception is the opening of the Teen Center's new
Computer Technology Center (CTC). The ROCK CTC and those located at the Center
to Increase Community Organization (CINCO) and Hathaway Family Resource
Center were made possible through a recent federal grant from the United
States' Department of Education (DOE). The funding from DOE helps to
enhance the community's access to local computer technology centers, as well as
to improve the equipment and staffing at each of the three locations.
Finally,
friends and supporters will have the opportunity to give founding Executive
Director Cathy Miller their personal farewell. After more than three
years of service, Ms. Miller is leaving the organization to pursue her
professional license as a therapist. Local businesswoman, Donna
Robey-Sullivan, has been named acting Executive Director and will assume
Ms. Miller's responsibilities in January. Ms. Robey-Sullivan and her family
have lived in the Eagle Rock area for more than twenty years, where they are
active in the community and operate a vending business. To inquire about the
anniversary celebration or obtain more information about the teen center and
volunteer opportunities, contact their office at 323-257-6102 or through the
website at http://www.rockids.org.
----------
5. MORE COMMENTS FROM WALGREENS PETITION
SIGNERS
"This
community definitely does not need another pharmacy. We currently have one chain and two small independent drug
stores. Let's take to the street (in
front of Council Man Pacheco's office) and show him how passionate we really
are."
--
Jeffrey Reiner, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"To
Nick Pacheco:
How
much money has Walgreens given you? Why
won't you uphold the Specific Plan? I
sure hope it was worth it, because I won't vote for you anymore.
To
Walgreens:
I
won't shop at your store unless you comply with the Specific Plan for Eagle
Rock. Lose the sea of asphalt, restore
the Shopping Bag building, and then I'll shop at your store.
To
TERA:
Thank
you very much for your hard work."
--
Lisa Twede, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"Instead
of piecemeal planning, we should bring in a creative dynamic community
architect to help us consolidate a community vision (and share ideas of their
own). Other communities have done so
splendidly (e.g. Old Town, Pas.), why not this one?
Could
we just INVITE one of these persons to talk and outline the possibilities?
Can Pacheco help us with the startup funding? Regards --"
Jan
Freed, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"It's
disappointing to see Councilman Pacheco abandoning our community and its
commitment to preserving Eagle Rock's small-town feel. I've lived here for almost 20 years, am
raising my kids here, and hope to raise my new stepkids here as well, because I
love this area and the people that live in it.
I'm hopeful that Mr. Pacheco will realize that we are all committed to
doing what's best for our part of town, and that he will redouble his efforts
to support his constituency and the Specific Plan. If not, then perhaps his successor will . . ."
--
Juan Vega, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"Do
what's right for the long-term benefit of Eagle Rock."
--
Hector Pino, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"Consider
this my signed petition. I would rather
not have another drugstore in our community, but if Walgreen's chooses to
locate here, please save the Shopping Bag building. Its restoration would go a long way to improve the look of that
block!"
--
Paulette Heath, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"I
welcome any new development as long as it blends into the community. I think the matter of what type of business
is irrelevant and does not apply to the question. For the record, I think the shopping bag building is an eyesore
the way it stands now."
--
Frank Medina, Eagle Rock resident
[Editor's
note: In Mr. Medina's note to us, his words "the way it stands now"
comprise the operative phrase. The fact
is, buildings in far worse condition throughout the nation as well as in Los
Angeles have been restored and made beautiful again, countless times.]
"I
am really disappointed in the lack of understanding on the part of:
1. the city councilman
2.
Walgreens
The
residents of Eagle Rock have expressed over and over again their ill feelings
toward the knocking down of a perfectly functional architectural building, only
to be replaced by yet another horrible nondescript cement block structure at
2222 Colorado Blvd. We as a community
have expressed what WE DO NOT SUPPORT IN OUR COMMUNITY... WHAT DON'T YOU
UNDERSTAND? I am interested in making
this a beautiful urban architectural community as it once was......that is why
I chose to live in Eagle Rock...please help us maintain the charm of Eagle
Rock. A concerned TERA member --"
--Jamal
Hammadi, Eagle Rock resident and concerned TERA member
"Please
listen to the community!"
--
Nancy King and Carl Fischer, Glassell Park residents
"Adaptive
reuse of historic structures makes economic and environmental sense, increases
property values, strengthens communities, and helps to maintain our cultural
heritage. By listening to potential customers and reusing the historic Shopping
Bag building, Walgreens would gain the support -- and business -- of consumers
in Eagle Rock and beyond."
--
Cindy Olnick, Silver Lake resident
"I'd
just as soon not have Walgreens in Eagle Rock for all the reasons stated in the
e-letter over the past months, but if it is going to happen, I would like
Walgreens to improve the character of Eagle Rock not destroy it. (I HAVE to live here, Walgreens does not --
its corporate offices are elsewhere).
We need a site that will be conducive to enhancing business along E.R
Blvd., not just Colorado, so the Shopping Bag site needs to be developed so
that people will come to the area, not stay away.
Just
a thought -- if Walgreens goes ahead and destroys the Shopping Bag building, I
wonder how may ER residents will boycott it?"
--
Ellen Narver, Eagle Rock resident
"I
am originally from Chicago, where Walgreens is based. I and my family are long-standing and current Walgreens
customers. I have seen a number of
examples in Chicago of Walgreens renovating and utilizing existing space that
preserved the existing character of a community, and I hope and expect that
they can do the same for Eagle Rock, for the benefit of all."
--
John Murphy, Eagle Rock resident
"It
would be a great loss to lose the Shopping Bag Building!!!"
--
Jennifer Essen, La Canada resident
"We
support development that respects Eagle Rock's architectural history and
'hometown' feel. Our names are --"
--
Christopher and Mary Contreras, Eagle Rock residents and TERA members
"I
would like the building to be more of a reflection of the graceful and
architectural style represented by the Cultural Center."
--
Renate Crump, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"Eagle
Rock is developing into a charming small town with a bit more
sophistication. We don't want to lose
the charming, small-town part. We don't
want to look like the valley. We have
history, if we preserve it."
--
Janet Davis, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"Thank
you for all your community efforts and letters. I love the TERA newsletter also and hope that we can keep the
little bit of character that we now have in town. And, I spoke at the Town Meeting last month.
I
can't believe that Nick Pacheco does not understand our needs. He seems to understand the artist needs of
the community when it comes to the new Warhol exhibit at the LACMA. And the $250,000 that the city gave to get
the exhibit to our local Los Angeles community. He was quoted in the LA times a few weeks ago and he seemed to
support the arts then and what a wonderful contribution they make to the city
-- but when it is in our back yard, it changed."
--
Janice Silvernail, Eagle Rock resident and new TERA member [Janice became a
TERA member the night of the November 28 Walgreens meeting (as did three
others) -- we thank her (and them) for her (their) support!]
"As
a lifelong resident of E.R., I have seen many changes and developments. I'm not
sure we need another pharmacy in that area. It seems to me that there is
already a nice balance of a major pharmacy type store and smaller
pharmacy/variety stores. Bringing a Walgreens into this area could throw this
balance off and undo much of the careful planning and development of our
business community.
What
if they demolish the historical building, build 'their' store, and it fails to
thrive? Will they then rebuild our historical building? I think not! It would
be a shame, and possibly a waste of money, to not try to utilize the existing
building. If a Walgreens won't fit there, perhaps they should look at another
site. How about next to McDonald's at Colorado and Figueroa? I think a
bookstore is one of the better ideas that I've heard for the Shopping Bag
building. But what do I know, I only live here.
Oh,
Councilman Pacheco, there ARE future votes hanging in the balance.
'Always
do right. This will gratify some, and astonish the rest!' -- Mark Twain"
--
Mike Mendelson, life-long Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"As
has been stated before, we live in Eagle Rock because it is NOT like Santa
Clarita, Lancaster or Rancho Cucamonga. It is an established community, we have
plenty of good useful older buildings with plenty of character. If we wanted
more ugly corporate stucco, we'd all go live in one of those newer communities,
recently gouged out of the Earth.
There
are several other locations to put up a new building in Eagle Rock, if they
must. Why not tear down the Blockbuster building, or the cramped mini mall next
to it? Why must they pick a historic site to destroy? There is a perfectly good
site behind McDonald's, just sitting there vacant.
About
two years ago, I heard there was talk of Eagle Rock becoming an incorporated
city. At first, I was against it. I
think now, with the way our council member has been acting, maybe that would
not be such a bad idea. Someone also mentioned a recall, I'd be all for that
too!"
--
Sean Harrington, Eagle Rock resident
"Preserve
our community in the most aesthetic way that best serves both our community and
provides a place and space for Walgreens.
Here is a chance for Walgreens to do its creative best!"
--
Lynda Sue Marks-Guarnieri, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"Bob
and I are not interested in Walgreens coming to Eagle Rock except if they
restore the Shopping Bag Bldg. We have
answered the previous survey, but please add our names to the petition. Please continue your work on this project
and keep us informed. WE love Eagle
Rock and have lived in the Northeast LA area since1984.
Thank
you --"
--
Irene& Bob Mele, Eagle Rock residents and TERA members
----------
6. (invisible)from Angel Island to the
underground economy
An
Exhibit About Immigration, Exploitation And The American Dream
Opening
Reception Saturday January 12, 2002, 7:00 p.m. --11:00 p.m.
The
Avenue 50 Studio
131
N. Avenue 50
Highland
Park, CA 90042
323.258-1435
A
percentage of all artwork sold will go to Sweatshop Watch
Sponsored
by the Organization of Chinese Americans-Greater Los Angeles
----------
7. LETTERS AND E.MAILS
"Hello
Ms. Turner --
I
always enjoy reading the TERA newsletter.
I'm a proud member of TERA and always will be. I share Sean Mitchell's confusion about Tom Topping's goals. I think that he waits for TERA to take a
stand on something and
then
pursues the opposing viewpoint. How
original. Lately, I feel personally
affronted by the vitriol spewed in his publication.
I
moved to Eagle Rock for the strong sense of community and wonderful
architecture. I used to happily read
the Boulevard Sentinel while trying to ignore the misspellings and poor
grammar. I noticed that they ran many
human interest stories about local residents.
I was training for the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day walk which raises funds
for research and to provide low-income women with access to healthcare. I thought that they might want to write a
story about this so I called the paper but they never returned my call. They never returned any of my calls.
That's
when I noticed that many of the 'human interest' stories are about the
advertisers. All of the 'reporting' is
negative and TERA-related. All of the 'letters' are positive about the
publication and negative about TERA.
The low-point was when a reader compared TERA to an Al Quaeda
terrorist. Very scary. Keep up the good work."
--
Helga Thomsen, Eagle Rock resident and proud TERA member
"The
letter from Mr. Rodriguez [posted in our 12/20/01 issue] makes me very
sad. So much anger and so little
intelligence. Makes me want to do some
outreach. Anyway, thanks a million
times for the work you're doing."
--
Nancy King, Glassell Park resident
"I
just read all my e.mail including TERA's, and I'm ashamed of some of the people
who are writing you such aggressive and tactless letters! If people don't like
something they should at least express their opposition in a respectful and
constructive manner (esp. Mr. Rodriguez!). No wonder there is so much hatred
going on in the world, if we cannot be showing more respect and willingness to
communicate within a small community like ours.
I'm
glad that you have the courage to stand up for the interest of the Eagle Rock
community, and you're doing it in an exemplary way. May you have continuous
energy and inspiration to carry on your good work. Thank you!"
--
Ursula El-Tawansy, Eagle Rock resident for 22+ years and TERA member
----------
8. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"DO
THE [#&%@*!^] RIGHT THING."
--
Spike Lee
----------
We
welcome your comments. Please include
your name.
----------
Joanne
Turner <artburn@earthlink.net>
President,
The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)