Commentary: City Council Needs to Take a Closer Look at Community Plan

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Commentary submitted by Hollywood resident George Abrahams.

The Hollywood Community Plan is doomed and the Planning and Land Use Management Committee members know it. The question is how committed are the City Council members to their failed community development vision of excessive density that causes population to flee, the money losing Transportation Oriented District that has left a wake of vacant housing and retail space and to the high-rise developers who are the only ones to profit from the construction of skyscrapers even when the finished project ultimately fails. Do they want to do a “Thelma and Louise” vote to pass the HCP or will they see reason and send it back to the City Planning Department for correction of the bad data, the historically wrong SCAG projections and to properly prepare the down-zoning alternative? Far too often the voices of the people are ignored and public comment is just a way for citizens to blow off steam. This time we were careful to introduce facts, data and expert opinions into the administrative record proving that the HCP was fatally flawed. That was the only thing that got the PLUM Committee’s attention. It is the reason that they went into closed session for one hour to consider that “There is significant exposure to litigation, based on ‘existing facts and circumstances’ and the advice of counsel.” They know that they will get sued and that they will lose. The City Council has the alternative of doing it the right way or the expensive way.

— George Abrahams, Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association

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