Photo courtesy Shram Development
By CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA | Reporter
The Pacific Palisades Residents Association has joined the fight against a proposed eldercare facility in The Highlands, claiming it is in violation of the California Coastal Act.
The move comes after developer Rony Shram won an appeal hearing by the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission in April.
Palisadian attorneys Jonathan Klar and Robert Flick have again filed separate appeals combating the proposed eldercare facility at 1525 Palisades Drive, this time alongside a third appeal by the PPRA, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization focused on the protection of environmental and coastal resources.
Represented by attorney Thomas Donovan, a former commissioner of WLAAPC, PPRA is submitting 170 signatures of neighbors opposing the project.
The fight has gone beyond The Highlands.
The petition includes signatures from Barbara Kohn, a member of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, as well as Mark Ryavec, president of the Venice Stakeholders Association.
Klar told the Palisadian-Post that he feels the California Coastal Commission “will not be less sympathetic than the city of Los Angeles, which doesn’t really care much about the coast and doesn’t care much about the Palisades.”
PPRA President Sarah Conner, who has been urging local leaders to stand against the project from the beginning, said she felt the PPRA had to take the lead.
“We hired the attorney and we filed the appeal,” Conner said, “because this is an issue for all Palisadians.
“If allowed, it will set a dangerous precedent for the entire coastal zone of Southern California.”
Temporarily thwarting Shram’s project, the appellants will now await a hearing notice from the Coastal Commission.
Prior to a formal hearing, the appeal will undergo a thorough review to evaluate its merit, a process that could take up to six months.
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