Hollywood Hills Homes
According to a recent article found on Curbed LA, construction in Hollywood is set to grind to an absolute halt. According to the article, a letter was sent out on February 12, ordering all LA Department of Building and Safety employees to immediately cease issuing new building permits until a court-ordered injunction is lifted.
The author places the blame for this order squarely on the Hollywood NIMBYs (Not in My Backyard) who are quick to question and attempt to block any proposed new development or building.
That injunction is the result of a lawsuit against the city, brought and won by NIMBYs—including the notoriously litigious La Mirada Avenue Neighborhood Association and residents in the Hollywood Hills—to take out the Hollywood Community Plan, which was supposed to guide planning and development in the area over the next few decades toward what some neighbor groups felt was certain doom.
The injunction against new building permits is not simply for new, large projects; it is also holding up small jobs such as repairing balconies or installing new windows in existing homes.
At this point, the LADBS is simply erring on the side of caution while simultaneously trying to determine what is and is not allowed. So, if your project requires a plan check, the odds of a permit being issued are slim to none until the issue is resolved.
The housing market in Hollywood and greater Los Angeles is still in recovery mode, and any hiccup – like a problem obtaining a routine building permit – costs builders and contractors time and money they can ill afford to lose.
The very last thing residences in areas where construction is very active and increasing property values such as in the Sunset Strip, Bird Streets and the Hollywood Hills want to do is force builders to go elsewhere. Like the rest of major cities in the U.S., there is a severe shortage of Los Angeles homes for sale and new construction is expected to alleviate that shortage. Any delay can have massive repercussions on the local market’s recovery.
Hopefully, the concerned citizens of Hollywood and the LADBS will come to a quick and mutually agreeable solution, but if they do not and the stalemate goes on for months instead of weeks, expect new construction to move to other areas of Los Angeles, such as Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, and for the Hollywood Hills real estate and surrounding markets in the city of Los Angeles to suffer as a result.
Susan Andrews | Estates Director
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Susan Andrews is your ultimate real estate source for Los Angeles, California and surrounding communities.
Photo courtesy of Curbed LA.