The Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council, by a tally of 8-2, voted Monday to revisit their vote on the Il Villaggio Toscano residential and retail project, which SONC approved last month.
, and at Monday's meeting, the board voted not to reverse their decision, but rather to reconsider their vote.
“It’s a parliamentary procedure," said boardmember Ron Ziff, who is also chair of the SONC Land Use Committee. "When somebody votes in favor of a motion changes their mind, they can ask to have the vote taken a second time, as long as they do it by the next meeting.”
Ziff, who voted in favor of the Toscano project at May's meeting, said that his concerns, similar to several other boardmembers, is that the public have the opportunity to further discuss the project.
“My thoughts are the same as they have been throughout," Ziff said. "I have been concerned that everything we do be completely transparent and available to the public to allow as much discussion as possible. That was my only motive in voting in favor of the motion to reconsider.”
“My only concern is that we continue to keep the process very public and very open,” he added.
The board will now reconsider whether to approve the Toscano project at July's SONC meeting.
In its current form, the project, located at the corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Camarillo Street, incorporates 399 dwelling units and 52,000 square-feet for commercial use, which includes a 13,000-square-foot plaza that will run the length of Sepulveda Boulevard. There will also be 1206 parking spaces.
The Toscano project has been a hot button issue in the Sherman Oaks community over the past two years, as the public seems to be split on what effects the project will have locally.
Many are concerned that the project will exacerbate an already tumultuous traffic situation on Sepulveda Boulevard, while others maintain that traffic on Sepulveda is an issue that the city must address and will not be significantly affected by possible development.
No date has been determined for July's SONC meeting, but members of the public are encouraged to attend and voice their concerns.
http://shermanoaksnc.org/event_details.php?events_id=3178
Jeff Kalban is on the SONC Land Use committee, he seemed to foam at the mouth and his face turn red when protesting this development at SONC Land Use Committee meetings. FYI- Jeff Kalban has his own architecture firm, maybe he is jealous for not getting the job for this project and pay back is political, well you know what I mean. It takes a lot of guts or shear stupidity for a SONC committee member to tell a constituent to shut up! Yeah that's right, Jeff Kalban was so upset during the vote last month he told a Sherman Oaks resident in the audience to shut up, even when the person talking was directing their question toward SONC President Jill Barad. I think there is a audio/video clip to be heard...
I actually saw an email blast from Kalban’s organization and it seem she doesn't sign her full name, just Maria. Maybe she is trying to stay incognito so it doesn’t look like there’s any home politics going on. Just typical politics, you know the kind of stuff everyone likes about politics.