I lived at 2308 1/4 Pisani Place in Venice for nearly 20 years. Our building was a beautiful, affordable community that provided housing that was affordable and protected by rent-stabilization. A few years ago Steve Meepos bought our building in order to kick us out and build condos.
I didn't give up my home without a fight! I fought my Ellis Act eviction and made the developer take me to court. Eventually I did have to leave, but I didn't make it easy. Because I lived in the Coastal Zone, though, that's not the end of the story. The Mello Act requires that Coastal Zone developments replace all affordable housing that is demolished on a one-for-one basis.
At 2308 Pisani, the developer is trying to exploit a loophole to get out of his obligation under the law. By waiting for years after displacing tenants, he's claiming that some units were "vacant," even though he bought out and evicted tenants from affordable units. That's gaming the system, and it's not fair.
Developers like Steve Meepos need to replace every single affordable unit they take out of the community when they build in the Coastal Zone. The LA City Department of City Planning and Housing + Community Investment Department must hold Steve Meepos accountable and require that he replace all the affordable housing that he's taken off the market.
Please join me in telling the LA Department of City Planning and the Housing + Community Investment Department to enforce the Mello Act and make Steve Meepos replace every unit at 2308 Pisani.
Thank you for your support,
Amy Doering
To:
Bindu Kannan, Zoning Administrator — Los Angeles Department of City Planning
Robert Manford, Environmental Affairs Officer — Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department
We are concerned about the loss of affordable housing at 2308 Pisani Place in Venice (DIR-2015-3883-CDP-SPP-MEL).
On January 30, 2018, HCID issued a finding that three affordable units existed and must be replaced at 2308 Pisani. This finding fails to take into account that the redevelopment effort began no later than 2015, when the developer, Steve Meepos, first filed a Coastal Development Permit. Some units that were found to be "vacant" were previously homes to low-income households who were either evicted or paid to leave.
The finding also ignores two affordable, safe and habitable units that were unpermitted, but provided affordable housing to the community for decades. It was the applicant who reported the unpermitted units to the City, forcing the displacement of two more households from affordable housing in Venice.
Please hold Steve Meepos accountable to provide replacement affordable housing for every affordable unit lost through his proposed redevelopment. Three replacement units is not sufficient for 2308 Pisani, which provided eight affordable, rent-stabilized units with many long-term residents.
Before the Zoning Administrator makes a finding in this case, HCID must investigate how many units were affordable in 2014-15, when Steve Meepos bought the property and began displacing residents from affordable units.
Thank you for your consideration.
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