City Puts Oneonta Drive Development on Hold

The city of Los Angeles has tentatively put on hold the construction of two homes at 822 and 828 Oneonta Drive, stating that the proposed project's clearance under the Mount Washington-Glassell Park Specific Plan has expired.

A "Notice of Intent to Revoke" posted on the work site states that on March 21, the Department of City Planning determined that it had wrongly granted clearance for the project under the specific plan, and intended to revoke the permits.

Council District 1 Field Deputy Daniel Andalon said that, though builder North by Northwest Communities received clearance to build the side-by-side houses in March, neighborhood outcry over the project led to a more thorough review of the permit extensions.

The city first issues permits for the project in 2003, and repeatedly renewed them until Northwest by Northwest Communities finally broke ground last month.

What the city found, after being pressured by Oneonta residents, is that the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety had rubber-stamped the project's permits without verifying that the needed clearance under Mount Washington-Glassell Park Specific Plan had been renewed.

"At the very least, the city found that they had improperly cleared the Mount Washington-Glassell Park Specific Plan review," said Guadalupe Duran-Medina, Council District 1's Planning Deputy.

She said that council district staff is still unsure if reissue of the zoning administration clearance was also granted in error.

North by Northwest Communities now has until April 7 to respond to city's notice of intent to revoke their permits. If appeal is not granted, the builder will be forced to reapply for clearance under the specific plan.

Duran-Medina said that the timeline of that process would depend on whether the project was in compliance with the specific plan.

"It could go pretty quickly. If the project conforms to the specific plan, then it won't require a public hearing," she said. "However, if they deviate from the plan, then there is a process for public review."