Los Angeles residents aren’t alone in wrestling with large-scale residences in their neighborhoods that many feel are out of character with similar homes in their communities.
But while Los Angeles City officials are poised to present an ordinance soon on what is known colloquially as the “mansionization” of many of their neighborhoods, it remains unknown if Culver City leaders will soon be unveiling any plans on rezoning to prevent these out- of scale homes.
On Dec. 14, Culver City introduced a set of guidelines to amend the city’s municipal code governing development standards for residential zoning districts.
The Planning Dept. did not respond to inquiries about when or if it planned to submit a revised ordinance to the council to vote on.
Culver City resident Iain Gulin has begun a nascent grassroots campaign for a temporary moratorium on the construction of these homes, similar to what Los Angeles did last year and the topic could become a campaign issue in the April city council election.
The Westchester neighborhood of Kentwood, Mar Vista and east Venice in Los Angeles are part of 15 neighborhoods covered by a moratorium on “McMansions” that would allow the maximum size residence for a single family home.
Residents like Gulin began speaking out last after Culver City became the latest Westside community to see residences in the downtown adjacent Carlson Park neighborhood being torn down and large, multi-story homes being built in their place. As is the case in Los Angeles, these concerned homeowners point to the fact that construction permits for homes over 3,000 square feet have reached significant levels and are routinely approved.
Property owners affected by these residences believe the proposed ordinance does not go far enough and feel that a moratorium — even a temporary one— is more appropriate given the changes that they are beginning to see in their neighborhoods.
Other cities have implemented similar ordinances after pushback from neighborhood activists. In response in part to the number of “McMansions” throughout Los Angeles, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein is spearheading an initiative to be placed on the Nov. 8 ballot that would limit city planners’ ability to change planning and zoning rules for large developments . The proposal includes a two-year moratorium on demolition and construction permits for certain large scale projects.
Joseph Treves, a Mar Vista relator who is also an associate partner at the Beverly Hills real estate and brokerage firm Partners Trust, believes “mansionization” is the byproduct of a desire by developers to maximize their profits- often at the expense of the scale and character of certain neighborhoods.
“Home values are usually predicated by their size and appraised and compared by their square footage; the larger the home the higher the value. If a developer is to invest in the purchase of a property with the intention of remodeling or building a new home, his return on that investment increases based upon maximizing the square footage of the finished home,” Treves wrote in his real estate blog.
“It’s all rather formulaic. The developer knows their cost to build, and this cost becomes significantly less when the size of the home is increased.”
Gary Walker contributed to this story.