By CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA | Reporter
Apart from a hearing before the Pacific Palisades Community Council on Thursday, August 22, the proposed mixed-use project at the old Jack in the Box site on Sunset Boulevard faces a public hearing before the Department of City Planning’s Design Review Board on August 28.
The hearing will be open to the public and will give critics or supporters of the project a chance to voice their opinion on the record for consideration by the department.
After postponing the originally planned hearing, the DRB, which currently seats former PPCC members Barbara Kohn and Maryam Zar, will meet at the Palisades-Malibu YMCA at 6:30 p.m.
At Palisades Branch Library, PPCC will be hearing the matter for the first time with a recommendation from the Pacific Palisades Land Use Committee not to support such a project.
In a June 27 meeting, the LUC voted to oppose the project “as proposed,” citing concerns of insufficient parking and excessive height.
“The LUC recommends that the PPCC Board oppose issuance of a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the project as proposed,” said the LUC’s findings, further asking the developer to increase the number of parking spaces that currently don’t match the number of units.
Taking it a step further, Chris Spitz, PPCC secretary and LUC board member, doubled down on her opposition in a letter to the Palisadian-Post speaking as a resident on July 11.
“In my 12 years on the Board … and in my work in reviewing past PPCC land use positions as reflected in the Summary of PPCC Land Use Positions … I can’t recall any instance when the Board demanded that a developer not adhere to applicable law,” Spitz wrote.
Representatives of neighboring organizations, like the Castellammare Mesa Home Owners Association, voiced concerns of the project at the LUC meeting, but have not taken an official position on the project.
“I think all of the HOAs in that area will become a little more vocal if this goes the developer’s way,” said Cindi Young, president of the CMHOA.
Representatives of Edgewater Towers also opposed the project, saying the oceanside views of residents in the area would be obstructed. The Towers further contracted the help of legal counsel Tom Donovan to negotiate and is expected to be present at both hearings.
As the Post went to print, attorney Michael Gonzales, who represents the developer, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
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