Controversial Orange County project thrown out: preservationists, residents win and lose in conflict over Venice project.(ceqa)(California Environmental Quality Act )

Publication: California Planning & Development Report

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COPYRIGHT 2005 California Planning & Development Report

The Second District Court of Appeal has issued another ruling in the long-running controversy over the proposed demolition of a garden apartment complex in Venice. The latest ruling allowed both sides in the debate to claim victory.

The court ruled that the City of Los Angeles had violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by not imposing mitigation measures in conjunction with a permit to demolish five of the apartment buildings. Those mitigation measures--which included photographing buildings and making site plan drawings--were contained in an environmental impact report.

However, in the unpublished portion of its opinion, the court ruled against Lincoln Place tenants. They had argued that the EIR failed to adequately address the historical value of the apartment complex, and that the city should have revised the EIR when new information became available.

Lincoln Place Apartments, located about one mile from Venice Beach, is a collection of 50 L- and U-shaped apartment buildings containing 795 one- and two-bedroom units. The...

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