Venice Neighborhood Council
PO Box 550, Venice, CA 90294 / www.VeniceNC.org
Email: / Phone or Fax: 310.606.2015
Administrative Committee Meeting Minutes
Extra Space Storage, Presidents Row Room
658 South Venice Blvd, Venice, 90291
Monday, October 13, 2008 at 7:00 PM
Note: The Administrative Committee does not address or consider the merits of proposed agenda items. Its function is to determine whether a proposed agenda item will be placed on the next Board meeting agenda, postponed, referred to a specific committee for review and recommendation, treated as an announcement, or considered and resolved as a non-Board administrative matter.
1. Call to Order and Roll Call: Present: Ira Koslow; Stewart Oscars; Hugh Harrison; Nadine Parkos; Joe Murphy. Absent: Mike Newhouse, Chair; Linda Lucks;. Also Attending: DeDe Audet; Ivan Spiegel; Tania Getty.
2. Approval of the AdCom Agenda: [Approved: NP abstained]
[All motions approved by unanimous vote unless otherwise noted]
3. Approval of any outstanding Administrative Committee minutes submitted by the Secretary
August 11, 2008 Administrative Committee Meeting Minutes [Approved]
(see http://venicenc.org/files/080908VNCAdComMinutes.doc)
4. Announcements & Public Comment on items not on the Agenda (15 min, no more than 2 minutes per person)
Ivan Spiegel: Notes LANCC info and that the next VNC election is to occur sometime between March & June 2010
5. Old AdCom Business
A How to handle ‘campaign’ sorts of presentation requests: We’ve received requests to present and seeking support for Prop 7 and BCC Support of Half-Cent Sales Tax Measure. In an exchange between Mike & Joe, they agreed that these sorts of things should not be scheduled for board meetings. Joe suggested that there were 2 options for handling such requests: (1) Decline: Tell them that we are not a forum for these sorts of things; or (2) Accommodate: Find someone willing to arrange forums for these sorts of public information requests as a public service but without VNC commitment to support. [Decision that VNC is not a forum for ‘campaign’ presentations]
B DeDe Audet (310-821-4417; ): As ex-president who often represents VNC at extra-VNC groups, I request guidance on (a) reporting from these groups, (b) representing position of VNC and position of other VCs as in West L.A. group to oversight committees. I am currently taking the position that extra VNC groups serve as clearinghouses for VNC.
[Committing VNC not authorized; can submit Committee Report; JDM to prepare proposed standing rule]
C Stewart Oscars (310-305-8248; ): Request ad com to look at board member attendance at board meetings and see if all board members are fulfilling their attendance requirements. if they are not let us consider replacing them. backstory: with all the interest in becoming board members it behooves us to elect members who will participate in our meetings. request joe murphy to bring attendance records to ad com meeting.
[JDM to prepare attendance report]
D REC recommended procedure for vote on Board & LUPC vacancies: (see Board Agenda Item 8AII) [Approved]
E Consideration of DRAFT October 21, 2008 Board Agenda (see below)
7. Announcements & Public Comment on items not on the Agenda (15 min, no more than 2 minutes per person)
8. Adjourn
Draft – Board of Officers Meeting Agenda
Westminster Elementary School (Auditorium)
1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, 90291
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 7:00 PM
1. Call to Order and Roll Call
2. Approval of the Agenda
3. Approval of any outstanding minutes submitted by the Secretary
August 19, 2008 Board Meeting Minutes
(see http://venicenc.org/files/080819VNCBoardMinutesRev5.doc)
Committee Reports are provided in written form when available
4. Scheduled Announcements (no more than 1 minute per report unless otherwise stated)
A Stewart Oscars (310-305-8248; ): Presentation of certificates of appreciation to LAPD senior lead officers per vote at Sept 16 board meeting. Request this be performed at the beginning of the meeting.
B DONE, LAPD, and other Governmental Reports
C Mike Newhouse (): Ask for help breaking down sound equipment at end of meeting.
D Linda Lucks () regarding need to take required Conflict of Interest Training: You may take the required Conflict of Interest Training from the comfort and privacy of your own home! Sit back and listen to the melodious voice of Sec. of State Debra Bowen as you re-fresh your memory about the rules that govern us as NC leaders. Since the City Council is seriously considering putting teeth into this mandate and may also require us to file an annual personal financial disclosure form, I urge those who have not yet complied to do this soon. It makes us look credible to the City and it does help. You can take the training in small bites, or do it at one 2 hour sitting. It is well worth the effort. http://ethics.lacity.org/education/ethics2007/?audience=done
D James Murez (310-399-6690; ) & Jed Pauker (310-839-9209; ): Presentation of a case tracking system for LUPC (15 min) – See Exhibit A [Postponed to October 18 Board Meeting]
E Challis Macpherson (310-822-1729; ) & Elizabeth Wright (): To bring the board and general public up-to-date about current negotiations between JPI Construction and the neighboring residents in the Oxford Triangle. (2min)
F David Barish (310-909-6697; ): We ARE Marina del Rey would like to make a short presentation on the many development projects Los Angeles County is pursuing in Marina del Rey and their potential significant impacts on the residents of Venice and the Marina Peninsula. (5 min)
G Hugh Harrison (310-487-2533; ) & Linda Lucks (310-745-3240/310-450-2554; ): Report on Mayor’s Budget Day and Congress of Neighborhood Councils (3 min)
5. Announcements & Public Comment on items not on the Agenda (15 min, no more than 2 minutes per person) no board announcements
6. Old Business
A Jed Pauker (310-827-0144; ) on behalf of Fences & Hedges Ad Hoc Committee: The Fences and Hedges Ad Hoc Committee recommends a vote FOR the following motion:
(Briefly Annotated Version)
That VNC Board of Officers RECOMMENDS to the Los Angeles City Council the following actions, amendments to the Los Angeles Municipal Code and/or the Venice Coastal Zone Specific Plan and further initiatives regarding fence, wall and hedge (“structure”) heights in the required front yard of private properties*:
1) Provide "grandfather" protection for existing structures over three-and-one-half feet in all subareas
at existing heights, with reference to Santa Monica’s process. 1
2) Recommend that the Board distribute a community-wide survey to provide factual basis for community support.
3) Enable neighborhoods (minimum 1 block) to establish “[Interim 2] Specific Plan Fence Height Overlay Districts” to define their own frontage barrier height [limits 3].
a) Enable height limits of new structures to increase in proportion to the distance set back from the property line.
b) Encourage neighborhood-friendly "walkability" and visibility.
4) Establish a notification procedure regarding neighborhood regulations for new property owners.
* except where a barrier would block a public view of the Coast [per Coastal Commission guidelines]
1 Santa Monica recently pursued resolution of this same issue, proposing new regulations and related processes
2 Since formal review of the Venice Coastal Zone Specific Plan is a few years away, recommending interim overlay districts was judged to be the appropriate effort.
3 The intent is to define maximum height limits, not to specify height uniformity.
[Public comment was taken at 9/16 Board meeting;
additional public comment, Board deliberation and vote scheduled for 10/21/08]
B James Murez (310.399.1490; ) on behalf of self and LUPC: Request reconsideration of Board vote on the amendment to the September 16 Board Meeting Item 8BI excluding 520 Venice Way from the LUPC recommendation that:
“… all proposed sales of city-owned real property in Venice be submitted to the Land Use and Planning Committee so that the committee can hear public testimony and make recommendations on what it deems the best use of the property, and that all presently pending sales of such property be suspended until LUPC and the VNC Board have submitted a recommendation to the Council District 11 office.”
At the September 21 Board meeting, the board amended the original LUPC motion to exclude this most important issue - namely to have a public hearing on the sale of 520 Venice Way. No public hearing regarding the sale of 520 Venice Way has yet occurred. This is a HIGH PRIORITY item! A letter to the Councilman MUST be written ASAP since the sale of 520 Venice Way is scheduled for early November 2008.
The community wants this property to be held for neighborhood uses or at least to have a public hearing on the merits of whether or not to sell it at this time. The original motion without this exclusion should be reinstated.
As future volunteer landscaping projects are created through Venice, retaining this property for community events has the potential to save the projects 10's of thousands of dollars. The concept here is if we plant seeds or sprout clippings we can raise the required plants to be used along the canal banks, Venice Bl ground cover and in the planters along Abbot Kinney and other commercial streets.
There is no opposition except Mike Newhouse who is rallying on the behalf of the council office to use the proceeds of the sale to someday help fund a multi-million dollar parking structure. No plans exist for said parking structure, no location has been designated, no council motion to fund or build said structure exists and all of the monies from prior sales ($18,000,000.00 plus) have vanished into the City. However there is a lot of support to retain this property throughout the community. The community group that maintains the Venice canals south of Washington Bl would like to have use of it, the Venice Blvd landscaping group would also like to use it, the Red Car Restoration group would like to use it, Venice 2000 could use it in conjunction with Venice Blvd and Abbot Kinney work and the list goes on ...
Deadline must take action ASAP - stop the pending November sale!! [Placed on agenda]
B From Board Member [Moved to Item 8BII]
C From LUPC
I Challis Macpherson () on behalf of LUPC: I, Challis Macpherson as Chair of the Land Use and Planning Committee, request that the VNC Board of Officers approve the LUPC policy statement on massing, scale and mansionization as approved by a vote of 6-2-0 August 27, 2008 at a regular LUPC meeting. This policy statement will be included in LUPC’s Neighborhood Notification Policy which is sent each applicant for a significant variance to the VCZSP. [Postponed to November 18 Board Meeting]
LUPC POLICY STATEMENT ON MASSING,
SCALE, AND MANSIONIZATION
To be read or otherwise presented at each neighborhood meeting arranged to present a project to that neighborhood before it goes before LUPC to be heard
1. Venice Coastal Zone Specific Plan (VCZSP) sets out the guidelines for new development in Venice.
2. VCZSP notwithstanding, the LUPC expects that new development projects shall attempt to accommodate neighborhood concerns regarding, in particular, massing and scale.
3. New construction projects should be designed so that they do not completely fill the buildable envelope, but are rather articulated and designed in such a way that they address the scale and massing of the immediate neighborhood for which they are proposed.
4. LUPC believes that in order to address neighborhood concerns on density and scale, compromises between the maximums permitted under the VCZSP and the legitimate desires of neighbors and neighborhoods should be sought regarding height, light, air and space. This issue should be addressed in the Neighborhood Meeting suggested by LUPC and convened by the project applicant.
5. PARTIES MAY consult not only the relevant sections and provisions of the VCZSP, but also the plans drafted by each individual neighborhood, which can be found on the LUPC web site, www.VeniceNC.org or on www.Veniceunchained.com. (The "draft specific plans").
These plans were created in a public process organized by the city in 1988 and address scale and massing for specific Venice neighborhoods. These documents were not incorporated into the VCZSP when it was compiled by the LA City planning department.
The Draft Specific Plans arguably represent the formally presented ‘intent’ of the Venice neighborhoods and should be consulted by both the applicants and their neighbors prior to the LUPC mandated neighborhood meeting for each new project.
6. This policy statement is issued by the Land Use and Planning Committee of the Venice Neighborhood Council only, and is not binding. Compliance with it does not guarantee a particular outcome of any kind, nor does it obviate an applicants need to comply with any other notices, policies, rules, laws or otherwise as required by city, county, state, federal government or other applicable laws or regulations.
7. Treasurers Report accept report as presented
8. New Business
A Mike Newhouse ():
I Selection of Community Officer: to fill the vacant Community Officer position on the Administrative Committee. Per Bylaws ARTICLE VII A, this position is to be filled by a Community Officer elected by the Community Officers. [Placed on agenda]
II Procedure for filling the two vacant Community Officer positions on the Board and the one vacant position on LUPC: [Placed on agenda]
Nominations will close at the October 21st Board meeting.
Candidate statements and any attached resumes, etc. will be posted on the VNC website for all stakeholders to view before the October 21st Board meeting.
All candidates are requested to attend the October 21st Board meeting at 7:05 PM for a 15-20 minute orientation after which they will give their presentation which will include:
a. 1 ½ minutes to present a general statement which should include their qualifications and why they want to be on the Board.
b. 1 ½ minutes to answer the following two questions.
1. A community officer is required to attend the monthly Board meeting on the third Tuesday of each month, occasional Town Hall meetings, an annual Board retreat and active participation on at least one committee (refer to the website for committee details). Board members are also asked to volunteer occasionally to staff the VNC table at the Friday Farmer’s Market and First Fridays on Abbott Kinney Blvd., and to be the conduit for information on VNC activities with neighbors and friends in Venice. With this is mind, what committee would you envision working on, and why?
2. The Venice Specific Plan has been the blueprint for land development since 2003. The VNC is asked to grant variance and other modifications to the VSP. Keeping in mind that this is one of the more controversial issues in Venice, please tell us your thoughts on whether the VSP should be strictly or loosely enforced. (Link to VSP: http://venicenc.org/files/VenCoastal.pdf)