Can I get a HPOZ, please? Slapping a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) title on a neighborhood can raise home values, and in some cases, protect against McMansion construction, so more and more neighborhoods are asking for the designation, reports the LA Times' Dinah Eng. Currently, there are 22 zones (applications from 16 other neighborhoods are queued up) and HPOZs cover about 1.5% of the city's houses or about 14,000 properties. But not everyone supports a HPOZ, notes the paper, referencing the dust-up in Windsor Square, where environmental review issues have led to a lengthy legal battle. Also a bummer: the whole "government usurping the rights of homeowners," says one Hancock Park resident, who opposes the designation.
· Staying in character [LA Times]
· Windsor Square Wins Reprieve [Curbed LA]
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