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Politics & Government

Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council OKs Letter on Hollywood Community Plan

The public comment period on the plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report ends June 1.

The Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council finalized and approved an official letter of comment to the Los Angeles Department of City Planning on Thursday night on the Hollywood Community Plan and the Draft Environmental Impact Report

The existing Hollywood Community Plan, which has been in effect for 23 years, is being updated by the city. The plan sets guidelines for land use, housing, public services, transportation and more. The DEIR aims to assess the potential environmental impact of the updated plan on the community. The plan and DEIR are in review stage and the city welcomes public comment until June 1.

As the city seeks to approve the DEIR and to proceed and consider adoption of the proposed Hollywood Community Plan, the HHWNC consensus is that the document is inadequate in its assessment of the current conditions in Hollywood and the potential environmental effects of the updated plan.

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“The [DEIR] does not accurately assess many of the conditions existing in Hollywood today and doesn’t really adequately consider the impacts on the community and how those impacts should be mitigated going forward,” said Orrin Feldman, HHWNC vice president. “This is a big priority for the planning department and the mayor, but we’d like to see it done correctly, and better than it’s being done today.”

The DEIR attempts to identify current conditions and determine effects of growth while developing strategies for mitigating negative impacts on the community. In the HHWNC letter, the council focuses much of its attention on areas in which it believes the DEIR fails to provide feasible mitigation measures with identified sources of funding. The letter also highlights what the council deems incorrect descriptions of current street conditions in the DEIR.

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The HHWNC represents more than 47,000 community stakeholders. In addition to the official HHWNC letter, Feldman has written a personal letter of his own. Committee Chairwoman Robin Moreno, who is also writing a letter, expects 30 members of her community to write to the city. Members of the community are permitted to provide written comments on the DEIR and send them electronically to Srimal Hewawitharana, environmental review coordinator for the city, at srimal.hewawitharana@lacity.org or by mail at:

Srimal Hewawitharana

Los Angeles City Planning Department

200 Spring Street, Room 750

Los Angeles, CA 90012 

In other news, the council also approved the allocation of $1,000 for the purchase of promotional giveaway items; $2,000 to the LAPD's Hollywood station to be used for “narco jackets”; and $2,500 to Theatre West to allow schoolchildren from the community to attend the company’s Storybook Theatre program.

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