Many of our residents have received a flyer, attended a meeting, or been approached by canvassers opposed to the HPOZ
HWPOA respects and encourages your right to decide for yourself but please arm yourselves with the real facts
Our properties are valuable and worth the effort to
sort fact from fiction, reality from scare tactics
The HPOZ Process Facts
1. Yes, the HPOZ WILL apply to all homes.
2. Owners WILL be able to make exterior changes. Yes, the goal is to manage change to historic front façades (roughly 62% of area homes).
3. You WILL be able to build a new home if your home is not historic (38% of area homes). Teardowns of historic homes must meet a higher standard.
4. The HPOZ Board and your HPOZ City Planner are VALUABLE RESOURCES with rare knowledge of historic homes. This helps us and our architects and builders make better looking, more valuable changes to our homes, which should increase their values.
5. Obtaining permits with an HPOZ should not take significantly longer or cost significantly more. HPOZ review can largely be accomplished simultaneously with standard LADBS plan checks. Many HPOZ changes are either “exempt” or “delegated”, meaning a phone call or email to your HPOZ Planner will suffice for simple changes, like paint color.
6. Nationwide academic studies show HPOZs benefit property values. One summary is at www.houselogic.com/home-thoughts/neighborhood-historic-designation-can-raise-property-values/
7. What is the empirical evidence on property values? See below.
8. Single-story homeowners will not suffer. Ground floor as well as second story additions ARE NOT PROHIBITED. In fact, they are specifically provided for. There is no 250 sq ft limit on additions in the HPOZ; this is only in the current temporary 2 year Interim Control Ordinance (“ICO”) that the HPOZ will replace. Additions below 20% of the existing footprint (including porches, garages, etc) are at a lower level of review. Larger additions are a step up in review but are also provided for and in no way prohibited. The inclusion of porches etc in the 20% calculation is a benefit, not a disadvantage as has been claimed. That inclusion allows us to build more not less. Come to the Open Houses; it will be explained.
9. The HPOZ is not an anti-mansionization tool. That is what the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance is for. The HPOZ is about ensuring that growth is compatible with the neighborhood, that each of us can improve and enlarge our own homes and protect our property values while maintaining the unique character of Holmby Westwood.
The HPOZ Value Facts
A. Los Angeles – 30 HPOZs adopted in the past 33 years. Many others all over the US. Are they all crazy?
Academic studies focused on Los Angeles HPOZ values have not yet been conducted. But are we really THAT different from the rest of the United States? It turns out that LA property values respond well to HPOZs just like the rest of the United States. Come to the Open Houses for details.
B. What is the Interim Control Ordinance (“ICO”)?
Faced with countless teardowns and incompatible construction, in March 2015, the LA City Council adopted two-year ICOs as interim measures while guidelines are revised to protect twenty neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
The ICO that includes Holmby Westwood is HIGHLY restrictive.
Its replacement HPOZ will be HIGHLY FLEXIBLE and will consist of GUIDELINES not regulations.
C. How has Holmby Westwood performed under ICO restrictions in comparison to comparable neighborhoods without ICOs? The HPOZ opponents’ contention that the non-ICO areas of Brentwood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica have fared far better is false.
HOLMBY WESTWOOD VALUES ARE UP 33 % UNDER THE ICO
THE NEIGHBORHOODS CITED BY HPOZ OPPONENTS HAVE AVERAGED ZERO % VALUE GROWTH
This disproves the theory that our property values have been hurt by the current ICO.
Logic requires that the flexible HPOZ, which will replace the Holmby Westwood ICO, will not hurt and should help values, consistent with research from across the United States.
D. How can that make sense?
Doesn’t a highly restrictive ICO and then the ultimate HPOZ drive away some buyers? The answer is yes, some people will not buy in the neighborhood. Doesn’t this all hurt values? No. In fact, values tend to go up. Wait a minute. How can that make sense?
The ICO and HPOZ DO limit buyers who want to tear down historic homes. But they ATTRACT buyers who know the HPOZ will create a predictable neighborhood where thoughtful additions (and even complete teardowns and rebuilds of non-historic homes) will be possible. Those buyers pay a premium and the evidence is that, on balance, they drive prices up more than enough to make up for the lost demand from tear-down flippers.
Empirical Evidence
Since the ICO became effective over a year ago Holmby Westwood property values are up 33%
Come to the City Open Houses. We are happy to share the source data with you.
Come to either or both LA City HPOZ Open Houses
ask any and all questions
Thurs July 14th Open House 7 – 9 pm &
Thurs July 28th Open House 6 – 7 pm; Hearing; 7 – 9 pm
both dates at
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church
580 Hilgard Ave. @ Westholme
Please park in the church parking lot only if you have a handicapped placard. Relaxed parking will be available on adjacent streets.
