Now that some of the most vocal opponents of Venice Dell’s homeless and low-income housing development in Venice have lost their lawsuits to block the project, will this be the last hurdle they face in a long and unnecessary road. set by Los Angeles city officials?
Should.
For more than a year, the project has been delayed because city agencies have stopped working with the developers, Venice Community Housing and Hollywood Community Housing Corp., as they try to finalize contracts and designs for the parking garage, get permits to begin relocation and compensate tenants in the four buildings. unit on the project site, and to get the necessary development approval from the California Coastal Commission.
The 140-unit building, with four units for staff and another 136 split evenly between apartments for the homeless and apartments for low-income residents, will sit on a city-owned parking lot near the beach. It’s one of the rare open areas that city officials want for homeless and affordable housing. The project was approved twice by the City Council, first in 2021 and then in 2022, and both nonprofits have official development approvals.
But last year, Becky Dennison, executive director of Venice Community Housing, said city officials in the Bureau of Engineering and Department of Transportation told her the city attorney’s office had instructed them not to work with her. And they did, delaying the critical work needed to move the project forward.
Office of Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto, who was on record opposing this project before he was elected and took office at the end of 2022, began to find reasons to derail – all of which have been rebutted by the developer’s lawyer.
Now that the lawsuit against the city and the developer has been dismissed, it’s time for the city to stop. Superior Court Judge Richard L. Fruin, Jr. ruling against the lawsuit brought by the Coalition for Safe Coastal Development, the most important of which is that the development will not be granted an exemption from the reporting requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act. The judge found the project properly used state law that allows exemptions for supportive housing projects in the city of Los Angeles that receive certain state or local funds.
Another lawsuit alleging the city did not transfer the land will go to court. But it doesn’t seem like it will be far away as the land has not technically been transferred to the developer and the process won’t start until some time closer to construction.
City officials eventually ran out of excuses to stop working with developers to move the project.
This project has spent many years in development. It is quite frustrating that building affordable housing often requires years of cobbling together financing and approval. It’s outrageous that officials in the city of Los Angeles would increase that timeline by eliminating the work that needs to be done to get it built.
Mayor Karen Bass said she is determined to get the homeless out and support the development of more affordable housing. But he has waffled on his commitment to this project, he said last fall that in favor of some kind of affordable housing there but it was postponed to Traci Park, a council member whose district includes Venice and has long been opposed to the current project.
They have to be better than that. There is very affordable housing in Venice, and this project is very much needed. If Bass really wants affordable and homeless housing built in the city — and he has signaled that this is his goal — he should push back against community groups and some City Council members who don’t want it in certain places and will play out endless excuses. .
It’s time for Bass and other city officials not only to stop the slow progress of this project. They should be put on the fast track.
