Many of you know my feelings on mansionization – I initially introduced the issue on my blog in November of last year, and I wrote a follow up article this past April. Recently a friend of mine, Sara Nichols, wrote an appeal that I want to share with you. It seems some laws and regulations were indeed compromised to make allowances for the developer to build in one of Brentwood’s most picturesque neighborhoods. Sullivan Canyon is a wonderful rustic street in Brentwood with horse corrals and hiking and riding trails nearby. Please read her appeal below, and I hope it compels you to take action.

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As any Angelino who has not lived under a rock for the last decade knows, the mansionization of our beautiful city is increasingly compromising the quality of life for almost everyone. While I’ve done my share of complaining about the horrendous traffic problems caused by the oppressive number of construction vehicles on the roads and criticized the absurdity of building hotel-sized homes that only exacerbate our drought and climate disruption issues, now these monstrosities are hitting my ‘hood, attempting to infect a pristine, ecologically sensitive, undeveloped area. The developers, Sean Namvar, et al, are doing so with the blessing of the very City Planners who are supposed to be looking out for our interests, not be the facilitators for ever more out-of-control development.

Here are the essentials:

My community is appealing the issuance of permits for a project to build two 15,000+ square foot mansions with 6,000 square feet of accessory structures, to cut down 58 old growth protected oak and sycamore trees (all now cut to the ground) and grade and fill 166,000 cubic yards of soil (enough soil to bury a football field 33 feet deep, including the end zones) on more than 12 acres of pristine hillside and riparian habitat (wetland and perennial stream) at Sullivan Canyon Creek.

We are arguing that our appeal should be granted because:

1. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance prepared in 2008 is stale and failed to study the environmental impacts of the actual mega-mansion Project approved in 2014;
2. the City should have applied the Baseline Hillside Ordinance but instead issued waivers with no public notice; and
3. The neighbors were not provided the required due process mailed notice of the City’s various permit actions.

The developer started chopping protected oak trees in September 2014, with no notice to the community. State officials issued a cease and desist order due to the developer’s violations including allegations of bribery.

Please see this hearing notice for a City Planning hearing in West LA at 10am on June 18 to support our call for a new environmental impact report for the plan to build two mega-mansions in rare an oasis of open space in Sullivan Canyon. We need you to tell Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Attorney Mike Feuer, Councilmember Mike Bonin, as well as city and state officials to do the right thing in our Los Angeles City Planning Appeal set for June 18.

I realize this is a big ask, but PLEASE attend the hearing and/or email [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] (City Planning Chief), and [email protected] (Mayor’s Westside Deputy) urging them to grant the appeal! Also please send this blog post to your friends, your Facebook page, and your residents’ organizations.

This insane mansionization has to stop somewhere! Help me stop it by attending the June 18 hearing to show the City that we are sick and tired of having our quality of life compromised by developers’ greed and the City’s complicity. Thank you!