L.A. takes a step toward tighter rules to curb mansionization

Here it is he Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted to support proposed changes that would eliminate some of those “loopholes.” The planned alterations still must be reviewed by a City Council committee and approved by the council before they can become law. - The new rules would no longer allow a 20% bonus in square footage for using ecologically friendly building methods. -They would also reduce the square footage that would generally be allowed for homes in residential areas, changing it from 50% to 45% of the lot size. -And porches and patios that are covered would count toward the legal limit on building size, rather than being exempt. -The city would continue to exempt hundreds of square feet of attached garages when it calculates how much someone can build. The commission, whose members are appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, ultimately decided to exempt up to 200 square feet of garage space attached to the front of the home – half of what is now exempt – and retain the existing exemption for up to 400 square feet of garage space for detached garages and garages attached in the rear of a home.
from Tatiana Derovanessian Real Estate http://ift.tt/29IBX2e