Lincoln Place Tenants Ass'n v. City of Los Angeles
Opinion
Opinion
Johnson, J.
In this matter involving a redevelopment project in the Venice Beach area of Los Angeles we hold the city cannot disregard the mitigating conditions it placed on the demolition of the buildings without conducting a supplemental California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review; the city cannot simply declare the demolition a “different project.” We also hold the original environmental impact report (EIR) for the project was not insufficient for failure adequately to consider the historical importance of the structures slated for demolition.
FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS BELOW
The Lincoln Place Apartments were built in 1951 in Venice Beach, a part of the City of Los Angeles. The 52 garden-style apartment buildings contained 795 one- and two-bedroom apartments on 33 acres of land. The apartments were designed around open green spaces with subtropical trees and landscaping on winding streets and cul de sacs.
In 1991 the owners of Lincoln Place proposed a redevelopment project, which involved demolishing the apartments and replacing them with 654 market rate condominiums and town homes, 52 moderate-income town homes and 144 low-income rental units.