Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council Wants More Barriers to High Density Developments

The Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council approved a motion to craft a policy geared towards limiting high-density development projects. The Planning and Land Use Committee’s recommended motion aims to preserve the “existing character of the community,” by demanding traffic data, allotting parking space for automobiles and limiting high density developments.

"Boyle Heights of 20-30 years ago was mostly single dwellings, residential community" said Michael McClure, the neighborhood council land use officer, after the meeting. "Now with light rail coming in . . . more and more we are seeing the traffic coming in and we don’t have the infrastructure to support it. When you double that with the lack of parking, it’s choking off the economic wealth of the community, as well as the physical well being."

The motion passed with 10 votes for and three abstentions.

Jesus Hermosillo, one of the council members that abstianed from voting, said that preventing density also prevents low income people from living in Boyle Heights.

This year will see new affordable housing apartments opening in Boyle Heights. The Las Margaritas apartments opened in April with 42-units of affordable housing on Soto Street between First Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue. The 51-unit Boyle Hotel affordable housing development on First Street and Boyle Avenue will open this year, and plans have begun to construct a 42-unit affordable housing development on Evergreen and First Streets, across from Evergreen Cemetery.

Hearings with the City planning department and with community stakeholders will take place in the coming months.

Etc. Etc

The Neighborhood Council passed a motion unanimously to send a letter to the LA City Council Public Safety Committee to support a ban on alcohol advertising on public property.

The Neighborhood Council celebrated it's 10th anniversary as a advisory body. The Council exited exhaustive efforts in March, after it was nearly dissolved last year.