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Dear West LA stakeholder,

The Department of City Planning is updating the Community Plan for West Los Angeles - an opportunity that presents itself approximately every 10 years. As part of our ongoing outreach program we invite you to participate in an upcoming community meeting to discuss the issues that matter to you such as neighborhood amenities, housing, parks, and transportation. Two meetings are scheduled: Wednesday, February 27 and Thursday, February 28 at 7pm in Community Room A at the Westside Pavilion.

Please see the attached flyer for more information and contact Michelle Sorkin, West LA Community Planner at 213.978.1199 if you would like to participate. This is part of an ongoing effort to engage the community and hear from every stakeholder. If you have already participated in a meeting, we invite you to participate in upcoming meetings in April where your specific concerns will be addressed.

If you are unable to attend a meeting, please take the time to review the questionnaire and return it to us.

Michelle Sorkin
Community Planning - West Coastal Division
Department of City Planning
Room 621, City Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 978-1199
(213) 978-1226 FAX

COMMUNITY PLANS: ROLE AND FUNCTION

The 35 Community Plans comprise the Land Use Element of the General Plan of the City of Los Angeles, one of the seven state-mandated elements of the General Plan that also include noise, transportation, conservation and others. These Community Plans are the blueprint for guiding growth and development in the City. They reflect the communities desires for their neighborhoods and designate land for the range of uses needed in a community, including housing, jobs, transportation and amenities. The plans tell developers and homeowners what type of development will be permitted and the densities and intensities of that development along with infrastructure, and the services and facilities needed to accommodate planned growth. They are also used by decision-makers to make decisions about land use when property owners seek relief from existing regulations in order to develop property. For this reason, they are an important tool in the development of the City, and they need to be kept up-to-date and systematically revised.

COMMUNITY PLAN PROGRAM

In order to keep the Community Plans up-to-date, the Community Plan Program has been established. Community Plans must be current in order to: encourage wise growth; identify appropriate locations for new development; assess public infrastructure, service and facility needs; minimize lengthy discretionary approvals; and provide certainty and predictability for developers, homeowners and anyone else concerned with the future development of Los Angeles. Continuous maintenance of the Community Plans will provide City departments, elected officials, developers, business owners, and homeowners with an accurate guide to future development. The purpose of this program is to establish an ongoing method to revise community plans with citizen input in order to address prevailing neighborhood and community issues. Recommended changes to Community Plans and their policies and programs will be based on public input and collaboration with other City departments and the governmental agencies that provide public services and facilities. The primary objective is to always have a community plan that is up-to-date.

COMMUNITY PLAN PROGRAM METHODOLOGY

This basic approach of Community Plan Program is to review existing policies and programs and revise them as necessary. The intent is to ensure that the plans reflect the existing reality of how the community has developed since the plan was last revised and to determine desirable future growth patterns in each individual Community Plan area. The program will focus on land use and related mobility issues, urban design and the phasing of public infrastructure and services with growth.

Supporting Documents - PDF
Participation Flyer	Questionnaire	West LA General Plan Map

VA Land Use