Here's an introduction to Land Use terms in Mount Washington
ADU: Accessory Dwelling Unit. Commonly referred to a “granny flats” these are either attached or detached to a main dwelling unit. ADU defined under LAMC 12.03 and regulated predominantly by LAMC 12.22 A.33.
ASNC: Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council. Neighborhood councils are advisory bodies who advocate for their communities with City Hall on important issues like development, homelessness, and emergency preparedness. Neighborhood Councils are part of the Los Angeles City government, and have annual budgets funded by taxpayer dollars. Neighborhood Council board members are City officials who are elected by the members of the community. Builders are encouraged by the Planning Department to have their plans presented to the applicable council for review and comment. The council then submits their support or non-support to the Planning Department. ASNC is one of two neighborhood councils that review building in MW. The other is GCPNC.
ASA: Arroyo Seco Alliance: An unincorporated group advocating for changes to a planned development on Figueroa. Not a part of ASNC or MWHA.
BHO: Baseline Hillside Ordinance, predominantly written in LAMC 12.21. These laws predominantly limit hillside construction in the design and Planning process such as the size, height, etc. that can safely be built on a hillside.
BOSS: Building and Street Services (sometimes BSS)
BOE: Bureau of Engineering
CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES: As of June 2020, DOT requires builders to prepare a traffic management plan when building on hillsides with streets less than 24 feet wide.
DOT: Department of Transportation
FAR: Floor Area Ratio. The formula by which the maximum square footage for a building is calculated. FARs are contained in the MWGPSP and BHO.
GCPNC: Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Council. Neighborhood councils are advisory bodies who advocate for their communities with City Hall on important issues like development, homelessness, and emergency preparedness. Neighborhood Councils are part of the Los Angeles City government, and have annual budgets funded by taxpayer dollars. Neighborhood Council board members are City officials who are elected by the members of the community. Builders are encouraged by the Planning Department to have their plans presented to the applicable council for review and comment. The council then submits their support or non-support to the Planning Department. GCPNC is one of two neighborhood councils that review building in MW. The other is ASNC.
HCR: Hillside Construction Regulations. LAMC 13.20 C and D. Regulates how construction activity is conducted on hillside areas which have been included as ‘special use districts’ (SUDs) by the City Council. MW was included in 2021. Enacted via Ordinance 184827.
LADBS: Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety
LAMC: Los Angeles Municipal Code
LAPD: Los Angeles Police Department
MW/GPSP: Mount Washington/Glassell Park Specific Plan, effective in 1993, has regulations unique to the Specific Plan area. A map of the area is included with the Specific Plan. It is roughly bordered by Marmion, El Paso, Ave 50, and Verdugo Rd. Enacted via Ordinance 168,707. https://planning.lacity.org/plans-policies/overlays/mt-washingtonglassell-park
MWHA: Mt Washington Homeowners Alliance. A 501(c)4 corporation. A community service organization which works to preserve the “urban oasis” qualities of our neighborhood. Works with the council district and other community organizations on social and environmental issues, with a strong presence on land use (aka building) issues. MWHA has a Land Use committee, and works to educate the community and builders about our neighborhood, as well as to advocate on land use/construction related issues effecting the community. For example, MWHA will attend PLUC meetings held by ASNC and GCPNC to give community comments on sites that are being presented to the neighborhood councils.
NORTHEAST LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY PLAN: Established by the city in the 1980s, this is an advisory forum for the community and the Planning Department. https://planning.lacity.org/odocument/e2b4c459-cfc2-48f5-ace9-8a86c1afd246/Northeast_Los_Angeles_Community_Plan.pdf
PLUC: Planning and Land Use Committee. The City Council has a PLUC committee, as do the neighborhood councils. The PLUC committees consider planning and land use issues and make recommendations to the full councils.
SUBSTANDARD HILLSIDE LIMITED STREET: As defined in LAMC 12.03, a street with a width less than 36 feet and paved to a roadway width of less than 28 feet.
SCAQMD: Southern California Air Quality Management District
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