THE REBELS STRIKE BACK: Preservation Group Files Lawsuits Against Mega-Developer Trammell Crow and the City of Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to preserve decades-long historic preservation efforts by residents and community groups in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles, The Society for the Preservation of Downtown Los Angeles (SP-DTLA), a grassroots, nonprofit citizens' organization, recently filed two lawsuits in Los Angeles Superior Court against Maple Multi-Family Land CA, L.P. (a closely-held affiliate of Texas-based mega-developer Trammel Crow), the City of Los Angeles, and others. The suit is the group's latest effort to oppose a proposed apartment high-rise project, the Alexan building, which would sit within one of the richest collections of historic buildings in Los Angeles.

SP-DTLA contend that the Alexan, a proposed 27-story steel and glass luxury apartment and commercial complex, is out of character with the historic nature of the neighborhood. If built as planned, it would tower over and damage the integrity of several neighboring cultural monuments, including the 1930's Eastern Columbia Building, a world-famous art deco treasure.

"Let's be clear," said an SP-DTLA spokesperson. "The proposed out-of-scale luxury apartment complex will do nothing to alleviate our city's need for affordable housing and public spaces.  We are not opposed to development that fits the needs and character or our community. But, all our pleas for a more compatible building have been met with the argument that a smaller project would not provide enough yield."

The SP-DTLA and others have fought for the City to reject the project outright, or at the least demand a new environmental impact report (EIR) to replace the one filed in 2007, a decade ago. The organization has been repeatedly clear that it would support the building that had already been approved for that parcel, or a project that matched the size and scale of the previously approved condominium project. The Alexan represents a 30% increase in height and a 35% increase in floor area of the previously-slated building. In 2015, Maple Multi-Family leased the property and asked that the City approve major changes to the original proposal without requiring an updated EIR, despite the obvious renaissance that's occurred in the neighborhood in the intervening decade.

SP-DTLA continued "This project serves no purpose other than to further the financial interest of the developer, which does not even own the property.  We find the City's approval in this case particularly disturbing, given the number of vacant buildings in the area that could be redeveloped to provide needed affordable housing and commercial space which the City promised would be its first priority for our neighborhood."

For more than two years, the SP-DTLA has spoken out against the proposal at every stage of the city planning process, but its arguments and objections have not been addressed Having exhausted all local appeals, the matter now moves into the court system.  One case filed by the SP-DTLA challenges the City's land use approvals under the Municipal Code and the other case concerns legal issues related to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).  The two cases are joined with similar litigation brought against the developer and the City by the Eastern Columbia Homeowners Association.

Prominent land use attorney Robert Silverstein, who has defended multiple stakeholders against similar violations of state and local law, represents the SP-DTLA in the pending suits.  

For more information regarding the suit, please contact: [email protected] or http://www.sp-dtla.org/

SOURCE Society for the Preservation of Downtown Los Angeles (SP-DTLA)