LOS ANGELES: You know how everyone likes to gripe about the fact that the city's community plans--the blueprints that dictate development and transportation guidelines for each neighborhood —aren't being updated? For the 2011 March ballot, City Councilman Eric Garcetti has submitted a proposal for a Charter amendment that would require that the community plans are updated every 10 years. In other words, Garcetti wants it written in the City Charter, aka the city's legal playbook, that the plans have to be updated, a move that goes beyond anything that state law requires.
Garcetti's motion passed through the Planning and Land Use Management Committee today, even as everyone involved says there are numerous issue with the proposal. "This thing is not cooked," said City Councilman Jose Huizar. Huizar was worried the plan "would tie [the Planning Dept's] hands" and that they "would be obligated to do this, and the financial burden would be too great." Yes, cost is a huge issue: There are 35 community plans and each one plan costs roughly $2 million to update, according to Planning Dept head Michael LoGrande. Additionally, 31 of the 35 plans will be 10 years or older by next March, so if the ballot measure is approved, all those plans will instantly violate the rules of the charter. So there is talk of adding a "sunset clause" to allow flexibility in terms of getting all the plans approved.
Next, this still moist and not cooked proposal heads to the Rules and Election Committee. [Curbed Staff]
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