This Highlands vacant lot is the site for the proposed eldercare facility.
Size of Proposed Highlands Eldercare Facility Examined
(Editor’s note: This is the second of a four-part in-depth story of the proposed Highlands eldercare facility.)
When Circling the News was asked why people opposed the proposed eldercare/Alzheimer’s facility, the question was sent to Pacific Palisades Residents Association President Sarah Conner.
As quoted in my first article in this series, Conner said, “We are not opposed to an eldercare facility or development projects in general.” Conner said.
Building Size Calculations:
Regarding the size of the facility, residents say that 64,646.61 sq. ft. is too large for the lot size; that calculations were incorrect; and that the proposed excavation for the building is underestimated and should require an Air Quality study.
The FAR (floor area ratio) is determined by the buildable area on a lot. But opponents argue that the developer based the calculation on lot size instead of the buildable area.
“The floor area in the facility exceeds what the city allows in a CI Zone by more than 23 percent,” Highlands resident and attorney Harris Leven wrote to the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission.
LAMC Sec. 12.21.1 A.1 states: “The total Floor Area contained in all the main buildings on a lot in a commercial or industrial zone in Height District No. 1 shall not exceed one-and-one-half times the Buildable Area of the lot.”
Multiplying 1.5 times the Highlands buildable area of 34,849.09 sq. ft., means the building size would be 52,273.64 sq. ft. or 12,372.97 sq. ft. less than requested. (Multiplying the lot size 43,097.74 sq. ft. by 1.5 gives a building size of 64,646.61 sq. ft.)
How did Leven come up with the buildable area? “The developer has planned setbacks of 10 feet along Palisades Drive, seven feet along Vereda de la Montura, seven feet on the south side of the lot and 16 feet in the rear in accordance with LAMC 12.12 C.1-3, which makes the buildable area of the lot 34, 849.09 sq. ft.”
The City was contacted by email on August 7, 10 and 15 by Circling the News and asked for a definition of a buildable lot, but the City did not reply before this blog was posted.
Tomorrow, Circling the News examines Infill and Excavation