Eye on Wesson Continues...

Category: Eye On Wesson
Published on Friday, 03 January 2014 17:01
Written by D.V. Lawrence

TNN continues to place on public record the ongoing efforts of the 16th Place Neighborhood Association to get Councilman Wesson's help in mitigating some of the enormous harm done to their community when the Midtown Crossing shopping center erected a structure that violated agreements made with the community.

This development decimated their incredible views, reduced their property values and substantially increased the noise and pollution of the community.  Councilman Wesson made some promises he didn't follow up on and refuses to respond to the emails sent to his office. Is Councilman Wesson just too busy climbing the ladder of power at City Hall?  The primary complaint heard throughout the TNN borders is his lack of responsivness to many of the efforts people in our area make to contact his office with their community concerns. He may disagree but how does he explain his reasons for continuing to ignore 16th Place's ongoing effort to communicate with him and the promises he made to them? Does he just assume if he ignores them they will go away? It doesn't seem to be working.... Here is email # 48.

email #48 sent Oct 30 2013 by the 16th Place Neighborhood Assc.

Dear Councilmember Wesson,

The residents of the 4500 block of W. 16th Place are on the Venice Blvd. embankment to the south of the Mid-Town Crossing building and complex.  The south Mid-Town Crossing building wall on Venice Blvd. towers over our homes and is within 100 feet from the Venice Blvd. embankment.  The building wall has created a sound chamber that amplifies and reverberates excessive noise levels throughout our neighborhood, 24 hours a day seven days a week (see attached noise level measurements).  We have lost our views and property values; overwhelming signage advertises into our yards and homes.  The annoying parking lot lights are on until 6am and the Venice Blvd. wall lights are on until 5am, seven days a week and shine into our yards and homes - all of which countless meetings and documents said that this would not happen. 
 

The Mid Town Crossing development is nothing like the building presented to us; writers for the LA Weekly and The Neighborhood News including our own research indicate that grade numbers and elevations stated in the documents are incorrect or were massaged to achieve a goal.  The "Plaza Pico Commercial Center, Initial Study, April 2000" (attached), used to comply with CEQA clearly shows that those of us who abut the site on Venice Blvd. (between San Vicente Blvd. and West Blvd.) were never included in the process of determining potentially significant environmental impacts.  The effects the development would have on the residents of 16th Place were ignored.   The result is the residents of 16th Place were not protected by city agencies during the process and we are not protected now.  Again, we request that this issue be examined and solutions implemented.


Councilmember Wesson, you said you would write a letter to the Los Angeles County Assessor to request a reassessment of property values (attached) for the purpose of assessing property taxes on the 4500 block of 16th Place.  When will you follow through with this commitment you made to the residents of 16th Place?


 When will you move forward with a "decorative masonry wall with a top cap," a commitment to 16th Place as outlined as a mitigation in the 2001 Determination or the Approval by the Mayor and City Council (June 8, 2001; April 12, 2001; November 9, 2001; November 20, 2001; and the Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration) - CASE NO. CPC 2000-5403(CU)(CUB)(ZV)(SPR) (attached).


You have said that in consultation with the Bureau of Engineering you would assess the need for a geotechnical study for the Venice Blvd. embankment, and if necessary identify funding for a study (attached).  When will you follow through with this commitment you made to the residents of the 4500 Block of 16th Place?