A recent poll by the Coalition to Preserve LA, a group of concerned citizens and voters, shows that 72 percent of the 557 respondents agrees to the ballot measure that requires developers and city officials to city's General Plan-which provides an overview of land use and traffic policies-to determine city approval of proposed real estate development projects.
"This poll shows that we are not alone in our desire to see city officials do the jobs they were elected to do and that 72% of LA voters want the city to go by the city's General Plan-and not the developers' insatiable thirst for more high-rent residential buildings-to approve new real estate development projects," said Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation and one of the ballot measure proponents.
According to their press release in Business Wire, 2 out of 3 City residents show support to the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, a ballot measure by the Coalition to Preserve LA that would:
- Halt individual parcel-by-parcel or 'spot zone' amendments and/or building exemptions;
- Enact a temporary, two-year moratorium on building or demolition permits for projects that do not adhere to existing City planning regulations and/or for which the City granted a General Plan amendment, or zone or height change;
- Take the preparation of a project's required Environmental Impact Report (EIR) out of the hands of developers; and,
- Limit a developer's ability to reduce required parking for building developments.
"With rents in Los Angeles climbing just as high as the towering, "mega" structures developers want to throw up across the city, almost 60% LA renters are now spending more than the recommended 30% of their income just to keep a roof over their heads," said Weinstein. "The time is now for the City of Los Angeles Planning Department and City Hall to stop being pawns of greedy developers and to start acting strategically on behalf of the Los Angeles residents who voted them into office and want real solutions to the housing crunch."
