ECHO PARK: This Thursday, the Echo Park pool re-opens. There's even a little party to kick off the opening. Located at 1419 Colton Street, the pool underwent a $4.8 million renovation, not a small amount of money in these strapped city times. The indoor nine-foot deep pool will be open year round. [Curbed InBox]
HOLLYWOOD: A reader says that angry locals who live behind Chateau Marmont have been putting up "No Parking" signs to discourage party goers from parking on the streets. First off, why now? Have things somehow gotten worse up there? Secondly, we drove around those curvy little hills in search of one of the signs, but came up empty. Photo evidence needed. [Curbed InBox]
It's another edition of Neighborhood Council Dispatch, wherein Curbed and its correspondents sit for hours at neighborhood council board meetings to bring back the first word of what changes are afoot in the area. Your reports from the field always encouraged to the tipline.
The Hollywood United Neighborhood Council held a meeting last night to calmly discuss the proposed preferential parking district (PPD) for Canyon Drive. The verbal sparring started almost immediately when one gent with a backwards "Birds" cap (he might have been the owner) decried the lack of fairness by the Neighborhood Council board in making the issue solely about residents and not about businesses, too. Representatives from Councilman LaBonge's office (CD4) and from the Department of Transportation showed up to answer questions and listen to residents bitch for nearly two hours - the meeting was originally scheduled to last one hour. By the end of the first hour, and despite pleas to not make it a class warfare issue, most people in the audience booed and hissed at homeowners on Canyon Drive who showed up to plead their case. The hissing and cat calls reached a crescendo when one homeowner, who supported the PPD, took the mic to complain that he had nowhere to park his four cars and couldn't fit them in his driveway.
The boneheadedness of Los Angeles has finally hit home. A preferential parking district is being proposed for our neighborhood in Bronson Canyon which would restrict parking on Canyon Drive to the homeowners of the area, wiping out parking for renters like us. And why is this happening? The blame rests squarely upon the smooth, supple shoulders of Brangelina (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, for the non-US Weekly readers). Actually, the blame rests on greedy homeowners who think they own the street and are using Brangelina as an excuse. Via FranklinVillage.org:
"After speaking with D.O.T. representative Brian Gallagher and field deputy Jullian Harris-Calvin from Councilman LaBonge's office, the residents of Canyon Drive are requesting this due to a heavy media presence (paparazzi) because of a high profile couple who own property in the area [ED:Brangelina are rumoured to own a house in the hood]. This couple is unaware of how their name is being used to further this parking plan. They are out of the country for an extended period of time at the moment and have been in another state for the last few months filming a movie."
A rep from another Council Office informed us that the Upright Citizens Brigade is also opposed to the PPD, as it will eliminate parking for area businesses along Franklin Avenue. Two meetings are being held next week where residents will have the chance to speak out against the PPD. We'll be there!
· Parking Problems [Franklin Village]
· Large Image: Read the flyer [Curbed LA]
Los Feliz resident Dana Cremin is petitioning neighbors to support a preferential parking district, a policy that would cost residents $22.50/a year per car, reports the Los Feliz Ledger. Via the paper: "Under the terms of the proposed district, residents who live south of Los Feliz Boulevard and north of Hollywood Boulevard between Normandie and Vermont Avenues would have to buy permits to park in their neighborhoods. Cars parked without permits would be ticketed." Cremin, who fought for establishment of a district last year, believes parking is being cannibalized by visitors and this policy could "force the city to provide parking for all the businesses in the area.” Last year, Los Feliz residents overwhelmingly spoke out against the policy, saying it unfairly favored single-family homes over renters. But Cremin believes an incorrect map presented to locals may have influenced that decision.
A reader is losing it. The city is reconfiguring property lines resulting in the loss of a precious commodity - a parking spot. What options does this chap have: "Okay, so we're out talking to the parking meter dude earlier after a whole half-a-block has been getting tickets for parking in our assigned spaces. Now, we're being informed that the whole half-a-block is losing one of their tandem parking spots, because the city is changing the property line on us. Parking is already tough as it is here, we can't normally even find parking spots with everyone parked in their normal spots. So my question is, what defense do we have, and are we entitled to a rent deduction if they are taking away a parking space?"
· Ask Curbed: I Can Has Rent Increaz? [Curbed LA]
The best posts usually originate in our comments. To give appreciation to our amazing (and sometimes angry) commenters we feature their broad strokes of wisdom in a tidy comment roundup.
1) No Parking Signs Irk Downtowners "We had developed very cordial relationships with the bigger companies, mutual respect and consideration. Not good enough for the police who inserted themselves in to the mix and literally told the filmers not to talk to us and us that we could not speak directly to the film crews but must speak to the police as they control the permitting. So much for the new friendlier (and more rational) LAPD."
3) Density Bonus Lawsuit Arrives "Densification is good and necessary, but it needs to be done intelligently and appropriately, guided by careful planning with adequate citizen input, to assure that the development enhances and improves the city rather than degrading and devaluing it. The SB 1818 "density bonus" law runs roughshod over carefully-crafted long-range plans that were made with extensive citizen input. It attempts to make an end-run around the long-established public review process that significant alterations of plans should always be subject to. And that's what Ms. Hubbard's suit is all about."
4) Fuller Lofts Construction Halt Comes Down To - What Else? - Money "It's funny how the archi-nerds on the board jump to conclusions about the contractor being at fault. The inside scoop I've heard is that the CDs were flawed in several instances, requiring legitimate change orders. Perhaps the developer's mistake was having a (very good) design architect do the technical work (maybe not their forte) too. However, in all fairness, this was a tricky project."
Spotted this morning on a parking notice on Traction Avenue in the Arts District: "Whatever happened to 48-hour notice?" (Given what an angrier person could have written, that's a polite note.) Per filming notices in the doorway of the nearby building, it seems that a shoot is the reason for the signs, but we could be wrong. Maybe it's construction work. Meanwhile, a weary sounding Blogdowntown racks up all the production shoots going on today in downtown: A Mercedes ad shooting in four locations, a monster.com ad shoot, and a music video at the Title Guarantee Building. Still, out-of-towners remain impressed by all the lights and cameras.
· In Some Cities, a Car Commercial's a Big Deal [Blogdowntown]
A reader follows up with a query about this structure. "Dear Curbed: I read on your site that there is some kind of rule about not being allowed to park for more than 72 hours without having to move your car...this thing at the corner of Sunset Ct and Main in Venice has been here since January....maybe December and beyond...way more than 36 hours. I'm unable to tell from the street if someone is in there, but someone COULD be in there. But the city has been putting warning flashers around it. During the rainy season, it collapsed and spread debris across the street, and the city even roped it off with more flashers so motorists wouldn't hit any of it instead of cleaning it up or asking the owner to clean it up! How is that possible that it stays and I get a ticket when I park 4" over a red curb?"
That tinker-toy parking structure across from the Disney Concert Hall will be dismantled in the next few weeks to make way for the condos, retail, and skyscrapers of Frank Gehry's Grand Avenue project. The LA Times waxes nostalgic on the 39-year-old structure that, like many things in this city, was intended to be temporary but overstayed its welcome. We profess a fondness for the structure. It's simple, mostly open air, and not a giant cement parking tomb.
· Built not to last -- yet still standing [LA Times]
A reader is echoing a complaint we've seen over and over again. Lack of parking and/or misallocation of parking is ruining his day, and he needs somebody to do something about it. Where's your Councilman when you need him?
"I live on a street in Echo Park two houses up from a strip mall of auto repair shops just off Alvarado. The shops park there repaired cars on our street around the clock. They'll park in front of my house all week right until moments before the street cleaning time and then just move it somewhere across the street. The obvious problem is that they take every spot up and down the block for there businesses. So there is nowhere for the residents to park."
Are irate shop owners really making their own loading zones? A reader thinks she he may have uncovered a conspiracy:
OK, this started some time back, when I parked one evening in front of the liquor store at the corner of Santa Monica and La Cienega, at one of those yellow "Loading Only" signs, which all of us savvy urbanites know are only enforced during the same times as their adjacent parking meters, right? So before I know it, the liquor store owner comes out and tells me I cannot park there. I tell him I know what the law is and I can park there if I want. He says he is going to have me towed. Now, I am not so threatened by the store owner, as I am weary of the battle ahead at the impound because some stupid unethical paid-off sleaze-bag tower tows my car. So I move it.
It seems the never ending quest for good parking turns some nice people into crappy neighbors. Another parking-related query from someone pissed off at their fellow Angelenos:
"There has been something happening on my street that has been making me "curbed" and bent out of shape. I live in an apt complex on a crowded Hollywood street where there is very limited parking to go around. My husband and I share one parking spot in the complex, so at any time, the unfortunate one of us will have to park on the street. Recently, I have been noticing that some jerk neighbors have been taking up a two-car spot with their ONE car in the middle of it! I know that they are "saving" spots for their families or friends. And no, it's not because they are bad parkers and left too much space in front of their car. They are right in the middle of a two-car space between two driveways. What I want to know is: Can I call the city parking enforcement on their asses? What rules does the city have against this type of thing? or lack of?"
The best posts usually originate in our comments. To give appreciation to our amazing (and sometimes angry) commenters we feature their broad strokes of wisdom in a tidy comment roundup.
1) Construction Watch: 8000 Sunset's Makeover "It never ceases to amaze me how everyone in LA thinks that they have a right to park for free. You live in the densest urban region in the US (yes denser than even the New York City region, after you factor in their suburbs) and almost everyone drives. Land here is expensive and structured/ subterranean parking is expensive to construct. If you want free parking, move to the IE."
2) Ask Curbed: Are Those Fake Breasts Jogging Around Elysian Park Buying? "This has been creeping into Silver Lake. Just look around you at Trader Joes or Gelsons, especially Gelsons: women over 5' 10", pushing carts while in sports bra, hair pulled back, body glistening post-yoga, carts filled with mesclun and Tofutti ice cream sandwiches, running into friends and having breathy conversations like, "Hey . . . yeah . . . yeah . . . hey . . ."" [geegee]
3) Architectural Visionaries Gather at USC, Confusion Ensues "I recently attended a lecture with Qingyun Ma and Thom Mayne at MOCA as part of the Zocalo public lecture series and they were both all over the place. Dean Ma was especially bad in that he wondered why real estate developers and investors simply don't ask him to design a building with a 3-5 year lifespan. What? Huh? Why would anyone want to do that? What planet did he come from?"
Please answer these three questions from real life metro area-Angelenos (metrolenos) with a need to know. You may answer by email, la@curbed.com, or through our friendly comment system. Answers posted on Thursday.
1) Ladera Heights: A reader wants an update on the Stephen Kanner designed United Oil gas station. "You wrote about this a year ago and the damn thing still isn't finished. In fact it doesn't seem to be much more complete than it was a year ago. Is United Oil out of $$$ to finish it? This can't be an issue with delayed permits."
2) Santa Monica: New residences in Santa Monica! Alert the media. "Do you know anything about the building just completed on the northwest corner of Santa Monica and Berkeley in Santa Monica? Are they condos or rentals? Why can't I find out any information about this place? WHY!?!?!"
3) Los Angeles: More parking confusion. Where's LA CityNerd when you need him? "I have a parking question for Curbed: I live next to a school and there is a sign on the street stating, No Parking from 7am-4pm School Days (Buses Exempt). Since [yesterday was] President's Day does that mean parking there is allowed? How about during the summer when school is out of session?"
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EAST HOLLYWOOD: On the agenda at last night's East Hollywood neighborhood council meeting: The much-discussed planned “Hollywood Freeway Central Park,” a freeway park deck from Bronson Avenue to Wilton Place above the 101 Freeway in Hollywood. Maybe a fine East Hollywood resident could fill us in on what happened. [Curbed InBox]
Los Feliz resident Dana Cremin is petitioning neighbors to support a preferential parking district, a policy that would cost residents $22.50/a year per car, reports the 
A reader is losing it. The city is reconfiguring property lines resulting in the loss of a precious commodity - a parking spot. What options does this chap have: "Okay, so we're out talking to the parking meter dude earlier after a whole half-a-block has been getting tickets for parking in our assigned spaces. Now, we're being informed that the whole half-a-block is losing one of their tandem parking spots, because the city is changing the property line on us. Parking is already tough as it is here, we can't normally even find parking spots with everyone parked in their normal spots. So my question is, what defense do we have, and are we entitled to a rent deduction if they are taking away a parking space?"
A reader is echoing a complaint we've seen over and over again. Lack of parking and/or misallocation of parking is ruining his day, and he needs somebody to do something about it. Where's your Councilman when you need him? 
It seems the never ending quest for good parking turns some nice people into 
1) 
3) 
