MARINA DEL REY : High Fees to Fight Development Repealed

Responding to protests from homeowner groups, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday repealed a law that would have forced opponents of the proposed Playa Vista development near Marina del Rey to pay a $64,000 fee to appeal the Planning Commission’s approval of the project.

By a 12-0 vote, the council adopted a proposal by Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky to reinstitute a $64 fee for appealing city approval of a development project.

The council in April approved with little discussion new fees designed to discourage frivolous appeals. They allowed a property owner within 500 feet of a proposed development to appeal for a $64 fee but required those outside the boundary to pay 85% of the application charges paid by the developer.

The fees remained largely unknown until opponents of the Playa Vista development recently learned they would be required to pay $64,000 to appeal Planning Commission approval of the project. State Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica), a Playa Vista opponent, called the fee undemocratic.

San Fernando Valley Councilwoman Laura Chick said that she learned of the problem from a constituent who wanted to object to construction of a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant in Canoga Park, but who could not afford the fee, which would have been about $2,000.