We know it seems like only yesterday we were mobilizing for the so-called “town hall” regarding the Mega-Shelter at the MTA Lot, but the special interests seeking to transform Venice into the designated homeless hub for the western half of Los Angeles are, of course, still very much on the march.
This time, Venice Community Corporation (VCHC) – which is poised to become the largest developer in Venice since Abbot Kinney himself – is seeking approval from the Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) for its Rose Avenue Apartments project, on Rose Avenue just west of Lincoln Boulevard.
The meeting details are as follows:
Tuesday, November 20 Westminster Elementary School 7:00 p.m.
Unbelievably, the VNC’s Land Use and Planning Committee (LUPC) has recommended approval of the project – a four-story building that would span two lots and measure 45’ tall – even though it nearly doubles the height limit in the Venice Local Coastal Specific Plan (VLCSP); provides just a small fraction – less than 15% – of the parking generally required for projects of comparable size; and would further add to the gross over-concentration of homeless installations on the Rose Avenue corridor, which now includes the huge St. Joseph’s campus (which has been terrorizing neighbors for years), the world-famous 3rd Street Encampment, and the Rose Avenue Mobile Pit Stop Station (the only Pit Stop in the City that is open all night), as well as plans for the Mega-Shelter at the MTA Lot and the 102 Navy Street Project (a VCHC project a block off Rose Avenue where VCHC has accepted $500,000 from the Santa Monica City Council to build housing for Santa Monica homeless in Venice).
We further understand that VCHC submitted an invalid off-street parking affidavit to LUPC to artificially inflate the number of parking spots for the project and is refusing to perform an environmental review even though the Rose Avenue Apartments would be one of the largest buildings in Venice (and the only four-story building in the Oakwood subarea of the VLCSP).
Furthermore, VCHC has publicly stated that it intends to build at least four homeless housing projects in Venice, and already has two other projects in the pipeline – including 102 Navy Street (as noted above) and the Reese-Davidson Community (which will cover 3-acres immediately adjacent to the canals and a block of the beach on Venice Boulevard).
And, as you can see from the following snippet from a recent VCHC newsletter, VCHC is up to its old tricks, recruiting activists from other areas to drown out local voices at the upcoming VNC meeting.
We sent this letter to the VNC on behalf of Fight Back, Venice! expressing opposition to the Rose Avenue Apartments project and demanding that the VNC start standing up for rank-and-file Venice residents.
If you agree with us that the Rose Avenue Apartments project should be scaled back – and that the VNC needs to start doing far more to protect Venice from the Bonin / VCHC agenda – please “Be Heard” by sending this “One-Click” Email to the VNC prior to the Tuesday, November 20 meeting.
And please show up on Tuesday night to express your views in person!
