STUDIO CITY— The Studio City Residents Association has called for a ban on sign districts and a clarification on “riverfront dining” in a November 21 letter to Los Angeles City Planner Claire Bowin regarding the LA River Improvement Overlay District Ordinance.  The LA-RIO Ordinance calls for an amendment to the Los Angeles Municipal Code and the establishment of a committee that will oversee all new projects along the Los Angeles River.  Studio City would come under the “East Valley Area” within the LA-RIO. 

The LA River as seen from 1st Street in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of City of Los Angeles website.

The purpose of a RIO according to the LA City Planning website is to “guide the revitalization of rivers and their surrounding neighborhoods.”  New design standards concerning landscaping, screening, river access and exterior site lighting will apply to all projects within the boundaries of an RIO corridor.  LA-RIO, which is slated to be established as the first RIO, will oversee all future projects along the LA River and enforce all RIO standards.

In the letter, which can be found on the Studio City Residents Association’s website, President Alan Dymond lists up to 11 concerns the association have which they feel  have not been adequately addressed in the current version of the ordinance.  When addressing the ban on sign districts, Dymond had this to say: “The return to the natural state goals to be established by a RIO must clearly state that Sign Districts are prohibited in the RIO area.  Sign districts as a recent development have no place in recreating the ambiance of a Riverwalk.  Any such provision in the RIO overlay will impinge upon what is trying to be achieved.”

The ordinance encourages riverfront dining but Dymond feels it does not address areas like Studio City.  Dining areas that would be on one side of the river and have single-family neighborhoods on the other side would encounter challenges such as a dramatic increase in noise due to the river channel, Dymond said.  He adds that regulations must be put in place to protect single-family neighborhoods from the higher levels of noise being generated by the river channels.

Another item in the ordinance which Dymond takes issue with is the RIO’s encouragement of shared parking.  Calling this situation “problematic”, The President states that parking is a major problem in Studio City.  To explain this issue, Dymond offers an example of valet parking companies in the city selling the same parking spaces to more than one business.  Therefore, Dymond added, each community needs to have their own individual set of parking arrangements that fulfill the needs of each community.

While public hearings on the RIO and LA-RIO ordinances took place on November 3, another hearing by the City Planning Commission is scheduled for January 12, 2012.  More information about the Los Angeles River Improvement Overlay District including the proposed ordinances and maps of the LA-RIO designated areas can be found on the LA City Planner’s website at cityplanning.lacity.org/ordinances/proposedOrdinances.htm  Dymond’s letter to the LA City Planner can be found at studiocityresidents.org

-