At the September meeting of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council‘s Land Use Committee last night, the group heard presentations on two new applications – one for a permit to sell a full line of alcoholic beverages at a new restaurant at 6063-6065 Melrose Ave., and one to demolish two existing homes and build a new 34-unit apartment building at 667-671 Wilton Pl. Â The committee also voted to recommend that the full GWNC board oppose an application for a demolition permit for a single-family home at 953 S. Citrus Ave.
The Melrose property was most recently used as a gas station, and is in the process of being converted to a restaurant use.  According to last night’s presentation, said GWNC Secretary Joe Hoffman, the space has not yet been leased to a restaurant tenant, but the owners have applied for the permit in advance, to help attract a potential occupant.  Hoffman said the committee had questions about parking, the number of other liquor permits in the area, and neighborhood outreach, and invited the presenters to return to a future meeting with more information.  No vote was taken.
Developers for the Wilton property also made an initial presentation of their project last night, and committee members weighed in with questions about the compatibility of the design with the neighborhood’s architectural characteristics, as well as parking and neighborhood outreach. Â No vote was taken on this application either, and the developers will return to a future LUC meeting as their plans take shape.
The one vote the committee did take last night was on the application for a demolition permit for a single-family residence at 953 S. Citrus Ave.  The applicant did not attend this meeting, but did present a previous application, seeking to divide the R-1 property into two separate R-1 lots, a few months ago.  The Land Use Committee, and – later – the full board of the GWNC, voted to oppose that application. (No city hearings have been held on it yet.)  The committee voted last night to recommend that the GWNC board also oppose the demolition permit application, because the applicant has not provided any further information about his plans for the property.  (The property is also within Sycamore Square’s Interim Control Ordinance area, and neighbors there have previously expressed concerns about teardowns.)  The GWNC board will consider this recommendation at its October 12 monthly meeting.
In other business last night, the Land Use Committee briefly addressed the issues of recent changes to local secondary dwelling unit regulations (see the L.A. Times update on state legislation addressing that subject), and possible new Urban Agricultural Incentive Zone legislation, but both further discussion of those items was tabled until more information becomes available.
