by Timothy Rutt
Neighbors objecting to a plan to convert a single family dwelling on a busy corner into a children’s daycare center may be getting some relief, for at least a few weeks.
The county planning commission had scheduled a Dec. 4 hearing in downtown Los Angeles for a conditional use permit for the home at 3311 Canyon Crest Drive. Many neighbors had no notice of the homeowner’s plans until they received an announcement in the mail, or saw the posting on the property.
Frequently, major changes in zoning are aired before Altadena’s Land Use Committee and the Town Council. While neither body can give an official thumbs-up or -down to a conditional use permit, they can recommend whether to approve the permit and send their recommendation in a letter to the county planning commission, and then to the Board of Supervisors. The local bodies are considered the local “voice of the people,” and the planning commission usually gives the town council some deference.
An end run?
However, someone seeking a conditional use permit for their property does not legally have to go through Altadena first, according to Maral Tashjian of the Department of Regional Planning.
In the case of the Canyon Crest property, the owner did present a plan to the council in 2006 and was turned down. Tashjian said that the owner made several revisions, but “the applicant in this case chose not to go back.”
That has only earned the ire of the neighbors and members of town council. In an email to county planners shared with Altadenablog, town councilman Jamie Bissner said “This has not been presented to the town council since 2006 when it was roundly rejected. This is clearly an end run.”
The house is in a sensitive area. In an email to Tashjian by neighbor Tina Van Duran and shared with Altadenablog, she said:
This is already a busy and dangerous intersection. Canyon Crest Drive is the only ingress and egress for the residents of the Meadows. Lincoln Ave. is also the main entry and exit route for La Vina. Traffic is especially busy during the early morning and late afternoon/early evening. Visibility from Canyon Crest is poor when there are no parked cars. Allowing a day care center would add traffic and parked cars at the busiest times of the day. Not only will this add pollution, noise and frustration but will certainly cause accidents. There are no sidewalks on either side of the property. Parents and small children will be walking in the street amid rush hour traffic.
However, it looks as though the planned Dec. 4 hearing will be postponed. According to Diane Marcussen of the Altadena Town Council, who is recording secretary this term, the posted hearing notice on the property did not go up the proper number of days before the county hearing, and Tashjian told her that they would have to delay it for at least two weeks. Since the Dec. 18 agenda is already filled up, and the holidays are coming, Marcussen said that the earliest the planning commission could hold a hearing would be Jan. 15.
And in the meantime the Altadena Town Council is taking some action: according to chair Bernardean Broadous, a letter will be sent to county regional planning director Richard Bruckner today requesting a delay in the hearing. The council has also put the property on the agenda for next week’s meeting, Nov. 20.
What do you think of the location as the site of a daycare center? Tell us in the comments.
