The implementation of a Temporary Preferential Parking District known as TPPD 215, in the small cul de sac neighborhood bordered by Lillian Way, Cahuenga Blvd. and Wilcox Avenue in Hancock Park, has ignited a controversy between homeowners (who want to restrict parking to residents of the area’s single-family homes) and apartment dwellers, some of whom have no parking in their building, and all of whom are being squeezed by commercial buildings north of Melrose trying to park on the very same streets.
About 26 residents attended a community meeting with CD4 Council Member David Ryu Sunday afternoon to discuss Ryu’s temporary suspension of the TPPD shortly after it was implemented, in response to complaints from residents in the apartment and condominium buildings on Rossmore Avenue.
“I pushed this through,” said Ryu. “This has been on the back burner for years and I made it a top priority to Hancock Park, but I mistakenly assumed that all the proper outreach had been done.” The TPPD215 was authorized by the DOT in April.
After residents from 601 N Rossmore objected to the TPPD implementation, Ryu agreed to change the boundaries of the District to include that building, which Ryu said has no parking. And since it is rent stabilized, the city is obligated to provide street parking for residents. Residents at 585 Rossmore have also asked to be included in the TPPD because their parking garage is prone to flooding. Yesterday, homeowners expressed their frustration with Ryu, who they said failed to communicate with them when he suspended enforcement and changed the TPPD boundaries.
An exasperated Ryu struggled to convince the discontented residents that he thought he was acting on the consensus of the neighborhood and was surprised by the reactions of homeowners and others who are now advocating the abolition of the TPPD. That brought on even more heated discussions.
Moving forward, Ryu said he hoped everyone would work together to allow the new TPPD to go into effect and then re-evaluate the situation after a year. This is, after all, a temporary district and must – by definition – be renewed annually at the discretion of the council office. According to Ryu, the city no longer allows temporary districts, in part because the approval process does not require notification of residents who are on adjacent streets, which was considered a flaw in the notification process for TPPD 215. (Only residents on the affected streets of Rosewood, Cahuenga and Lillian Way have participated in the parking discussions over the years.)
Ryu said enforcement of the parking district would begin in approximately three weeks. He encouraged everyone who has further questions to attend the Hancock Park Homeowners Association meeting Monday, October 17 at Third Street Elementary School at 7 pm. He also urged everyone to be neighborly and respectful, and invited any other suggestions for finding additional parking in the neighborhood, noting that he has already reached out to nearby Pavilions and ask the Department of Transportation to convert curb space to parking.
