A DEVELOPER WANTS TO BUILD 482 APARTMENTS IN A CANYON!
This is the second in a series of newsletters on affordable housing developments on the Peninsula.
The City of Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV) has received at least three preliminary plans for Builder’s Remedy projects. This newsletter will focus on the 5323 Ironwood Street Builder's Remedy project.
A copy of the preliminary plan (application) can be downloaded with this link.
Artist's rendition of the four buildings described in the Preliminary Plan.
Key facts about the 5323 Ironwood project.
Four buildings, each 11 stories tall, 4 lower levels for parking, and 7 higher levels for housing.
482 living units, all for sale.
Only 20% of units will be “low-income” units. The remaining 80% will be sold at market price.
Location – 5323 Ironwood Street, RPV, in the canyon parallel to Silver Spur Road between Palos Verdes Drive North and Montemalaga Drive.
The approximate locations of the site and 4 buildings are shown above.
What is “Builder’s Remedy”?
To understand how this development came about, we need to define what the Housing Elements, RHNA, and Builder’s Remedy are.
Housing Elements – Every city in California is required by Sacramento to have a General Plan which is the blueprint for meeting the community’s long-term vision. One section in the General Plan is called Housing Elements. Every eighth year, a city updates the Housing Elements and submits it to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for approval. RPV is in this approval cycle.
RHNA – The acronym stands for Reginal Housing Needs Allocation. In a push for affordable housing, HCD developed RHNA numbers for each city to be incorporated into its Housing Elements. When HCD is dissatisfied with the results, they will reject the city’s Housing Elements. Without an approved Housing Elements, the city is open to the a loophole called the Builder’s Remedy.
Builder’s Remedy – A law that allows developers to bypass local zoning and design restrictions to apply for constructing housing units with some percentage of affordable units. RPV does not have an approved Housing Element yet and is subjected to Builder's Remedy projects.
Who are the developers of the Ironwood project?
A preliminary plan (or application) was filed on January 22, 2024, by a Delaware company called Verdes Estates Inc. The principal owners of Verdes Estates Inc. are:
Akhilesh Jha, who resides in Rancho Palos Verdes, and
Unnikrishnan Warrier, who resides in Los Angeles
In addition to the Ironwood project, Mr. Jha has applied to build 67 apartments on a single-family lot in Woodland Hills according to this LA Times Article.
Developer Akhilesh Jha stood on a lot in Woodland Hills where he planned to build a 67-unit apartment building.
It should be noted that within 180 days of the preliminary plan (January 22, 2024), a "final" plan must be submitted by the developer and this has to be 100% consistent with the preliminary plan. Otherwise, the application process starts over again.
The developer is seeking 21 waivers...
... from RPV building requirements. Some examples are:
RPV's right to prohibit construction on building in a restricted area
Grading restrictions
Parking requirements
Open space requirements
Height restrictions
Number of stories restrictions
Passageway width requirements
Setback requirements
Natural resources requirements
Easement restrictions
we are concerned about these waivers.
A city’s building codes and requirements exist to ensure that the construction process and the completed structures are safe with minimal environmental impact on the neighborhood and the city. The above waivers will take away RPV’s ability to control these impacts:
Grading restrictions waiver – Will there be landslides and flooding issues?
Height restrictions waiver – Will there be fire safety issues? Does the local Fire Department have the equipment to reach the top floors of the four buildings?
Parking and substandard street and location waiver – With 482 units, there may be 964 vehicles added, not to mention guest parking needs. (Average number of vehicles per household in Los Angeles County is 2). The developer stated that only 500 parking spots will be provided. Where will the extra vehicles over 500 be parked?
What will traffic be like on Silver Spur Road, especially during rush hours and school hours? Will there be evacuation issues in emergencies? Will police vehicles, fire engines, and ambulances be able to access the buildings in emergencies?
What is the impact on home values for nearby neighbors? Views will be blocked, natural lighting will decrease, and traffic will increase. One neighbor who currently has a view of downtown Los Angeles will be looking at the back of a tall building if this project is built.
Will RPV and residents pay for these waivers, i.e. subsidizing the builder?
Who will be held responsible for potential future flooding, landslides, and other emergencies if RPV building codes are not met?
Time for action
Neighbors located near this project have formed a group to keep each other informed http://savethecanyon.net/. Another concerned citizen group is Our Neighbor Voices https://ourneighborhoodvoices.com/. We encourage our readers to visit these websites to learn more.
Find out more about related laws and what these projects are about. Write to or call the politicians who wrote and voted for these laws to express your views. After all, this is election year.
PVP Watch’s opinion
PVP Watch is not against affordable housing. We are concerned, however, that Sacramento’s implementation of these well-intentioned laws is fraught with loopholes for exploitation. Take the Ironwood project for example. Of the 482 units to be built, 80% (385) will be sold at market price. The remaining 20% (97 units) will be listed as “low-income” units. We question if the developers’ key motive is to provide affordable housing.
With Builder’s Remedy projects, the local city government will have little control over preventing damaging impacts on our community, especially safety-related ones. The Palos Verdes we have come to know and love will suffer irreversible changes.
Mr. Jha’s home in RPV has unobstructed coastline, ocean, and Catalina views. We wonder how he would react if tall Builder’s Remedy buildings were constructed behind his home, blocking those wonderful views, and reducing the value of his home.
Thank you for being a resident of our Palos Verdes Peninsula, for caring about our community, and for taking the time to read our newsletters.
Sincerely,
PVP Watch
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