Tenants of a small rental property on the western edge of Hancock Park scored a victory this week when they successfully appealed the conversion of their building into condos.
In a unanimous decision, the Central Area Planning Commission voted to uphold the appeal, filed by residents of the building and members of the Los Angeles Tenants Union.
Dozens of supporters were in attendance at the meeting and urged the commission to preserve the building’s four units as rentals protected by the city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance.
“I don’t think you should approve any of this before you have more affordable programs,” said Los Angeles resident J.T. Lawson, who told the commission that he had been evicted under the Ellis Act, which allows landlords to remove rent-controlled units from the market when demolishing properties or undertaking condo conversions.
“Stop here,” he said.
Representatives of the building owners argued that Ellis Act proceedings had already begun and that tenants would be entitled to relocation stipends of between $8,050 and $20,050.
“This does not mean homelessness,” said Linda Hollenbeck, an attorney for the owners.
But tenants of the building maintained they were given no realistic way to remain in their units, with projected sale prices for the condos projected between $1 million and $1.15 million. Rental prices for other apartments in the area were similarly restrictive, they said (residents of the building now pay between $1,950 and $2,441, according to a report from the planning department).
Under Los Angeles law, condo conversions can be blocked when the vacancy rate in an area falls below 5 percent.
Planning staff argued that, though the area’s vacancy rate is less than that 5 percent threshold, the project’s four units would not have a “cumulative effect” on the overall rental market.
The commissioners disagreed.
“The loss of units through projects like this does start to be concerning,” said Commissioner Lys Mendez. “In a planning area that has ... 14 percent of the city’s RSO units, the loss of rent-controlled units seems to have a negative impact on housing stock.”
With the project defeated, the building’s tenants still face an uncertain future. As planners pointed out during the hearing, the property owners could still vacate the units and raze the property, or simply wait and resubmit an application for a condo conversion.
In announcement Thursday, the LA Tenants Union promised that tenants would continue to fight the evictions going forward.
- LA is mulling new rules to prevent the demolition of rent-controlled apartments [Curbed LA]
- LA is making it harder for landlords to take rent-controlled units off the market [Curbed LA]
- LA OKs Beverly Grove condo conversion over appeals from affordable housing advocates [Curbed LA]
Comments
Bravo Tenants! Onward!!!! You may want to consider retaining John Murdock as your attorney for the next round or Elena Popp with Eviction Defense. Both are at the top of their game.
By lanatik on 12.15.17 9:21pm
Attention landlords: If you own a multi family building built before 1978, DO NOT RENT IT OUT! Do yourself (and all of us) a favor and either sell the units as condos, or tear down the building and rebuild it so you are not subject to rent control. Despite the Ellis Act law, apparently a commission can tell you that you can’t convert your property to condos. That’s ridiculous.
Lets kill rent control in this city once and for all. Lets stop benefiting a select few old people who decide never to move at the expense of the rest of us. Lets keep low rental inventory (caused by rent control) from causing these sky high rental prices.
By SocalChill on 12.16.17 8:25am
Agreed, but we need to change the zoning for much of the city to allow for denser development, too. Eliminating rent control by itself won’t lower prices.
By MMVic on 12.16.17 3:07pm
So we drastically lower the tax base to benefit a handful of tenants. Awesome. Rent control is so inefficient as a so-called "benefit" it’s comical.
By disqusted on 12.16.17 10:24am
in other parts of the world, an "electrical wiring fault" would have caused the place to burn down.
By jahpskat on 12.17.17 11:09am
Interestingly enough, one of the most affluent neighborhoods in LA is home to 14% of the RSO dwellings in the city.
By midcityjuan on 12.18.17 10:36am
Wowie. Can’t convert your property from an apartment to a condo? I’m 51/49 about this. I feel for the people who are being removed from their apartments but I also don’t agree with telling someone what they can and can’t do with their hard earned property. Yikes
By subaruwrx on 12.18.17 1:33pm
By jahpskat on 12.18.17 2:12pm
If the city thinks it is so important to provide subsidized reduced market rate housing for these renters then why doesn’t the city build housing for them or if not that issue them a cash stipend to put toward rent elsewhere? It makes absolutely no sense and is in fact outrageous that the city is instead forcing this individual property owner to subsidize the housing costs for these people. Of course there are some people who need assistance but that assistance should be an obligation shared society wide not just by individual property owners.
By lady who lunches on 12.18.17 2:32pm