Our meeting was held at North Valley Neighborhood City Hall tonight due to a special event being held at Mt. Gleason Middle School. We'll return to Mt. Gleason for our January 10, 2007 meeting. Thank you to new principal, Deborah Acosta, for stopping by our meeting to give updates on the school's academic numbers. We've invited her back to our meeting for a more thorough presentation.
At tonight's STNC meeting we were informed that a "Stop Work Order" has been issued by the LA Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) at the site of the proposed Home Depot. The DBS inspector visited the site and saw work that was not part of the plans on file with DBS.
Dale Thrush, Planning Deputy for Councilmember Wendy Greuel distributed a copy of a letter to Wendy regarding the use of the area within the building previously used for auto repair. The letter indicates conclusions that were reached during a meeting held on Nov. 29, 2006 between representatives from the Department of City Planning, City Attorney, Building and Safety, Wendy's office and covers other points regarding the tenant improvements to the site that are now in progress. Click here to see a copy of this letter by Hector Buitraco, Assistant Chief Engineering Bureau at LADBS.
Design Advisory Committee member Saro Minassian presented the following motion that the board unanimously approved: Motion: The Design Advisory Committee of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council in response to the November 6, 2006 meeting with the Honorable Councilmember Wendy Greuel and other City staff hereby request that Councilmember Greuel bring the following matter to the full City Council and the City Attorney while the appeal filed by the No Home Depot Campaign is pending. We demand a Stop Work Order be issued at the site of the proposed Home Depot at 8040 Foothill Blvd., Sunland, CA, based on the following justifications:
1. Mr. Keim, Code Enforcement Bureau Chief of the L.A. Dept. of Building and Safety, stated at the November 6th, 2006 meeting that the auto repair use area must only be "no use", or a change of use application would be required. A Change of Use would trigger the "Project" definition of the Foothill Blvd. Corridor Specific Plan, which is a discretionary, not ministerial action.
2. The June 22, 2006 architect approved, July 21, 2006 Dan Scott, City Planning and July 24, 2006 Lily Teng, Metro Plan Check City approved plans being used on the job site show inconsistent uses for the auto repair area. The uses indicated in the plans are either "storage, cash register check-out or pro-desk contractor area".
3. The City approved plans indicate structural alterations to the existing building that should also be subject to the regulation of the Foothill Blvd. Corridor Specific Plan and the "Project" definition therein.
4. The inconsistencies in the plans and the "no use" statement at the Nov. 6, 2006 meeting indicate an intent to "piecemeal" the project and avoid the full Project Permit Compliance Review and Environmental Assessment that this site requires for the public safety now and in the future.
At the 12-13-06 STNC Meeting, the board voted to form a committee that will review the City Controller's Audit of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) regarding neighborhood councils. Stakeholder Bill Skiles will chair the committee with Dan McManus, Mark Seigel and Deborah Ray also serving. The committee expects to have recommendations ready for the STNC board to review within a month. If you are interested in participating in the committee's discussions, please contact the STNC office at (818) 951-7411 for meeting times.
The board also voted to request that all unpermitted billboards in Sunland-Tujunga be removed and no new billboard permits be issued.
