City Council Approves 'Mansionization' Limits—The Plan Began in Studio City

Studio City activists were at the forefront of a plan approved unanimously Tuesday afternoon by the Los Angeles City Council that will prevent "mansionizations" on small lots that change the character of certain neighborhoods.

Studio City Neighborhood Council vice president Lisa Sarkin and Studio City Residents Association president Alan Dymond were among the speakers urging passage of the ordinance.

The ordinance was drafted after dozens of meetings and getting input from hundreds of citizens over a two-year period. In 2008 communities were allowed to write their own ordinances and create their own  (RFA) Districts. This applies to 300,000 properties in single-family residential zones throughout Los Angeles.

District 2 Council Member Paul Krekorian recused himself from the final vote because he owns property in the RFA zone.

He said:

"I am very happy to report that my colleagues on the City Council unanimously approved the Studio City Residential Floor Area (RFA) ordinance. After many months of work and extensive outreach, I was very proud to assist the community in reaching a consensus for a real solution to the long, contentious, divisive debate on how to limit mansionization in Studio City and protect property rights."

Councilmember Krekorian added, "Working closely with a divergent group of committed and thoughtful neighbors on each side of the debate, we developed an ordinance that will lead to the widest ranging set of guidelines a community has ever enacted to maintain the integrity of their neighborhood. I know that once it becomes law, the RFA will squarely address the problems of mansionization by limiting size and encouraging better design elements."

The ordinance would control mansionization for nearly 4,000 Studio City homes - limiting lots of 6,750 square feet (the typical lot size in Studio City) to 3,578 square feet.

It now heads to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for his signature.