Council grants limited beachfront height exemptions in Venice after debate over public access and views

The Los Angeles City Council on Dec. 17 approved hardship exemptions for several Venice beachfront properties that requested limited height exceptions and minor rooftop/stairwell additions.

Applicants and planning staff said the requests were modest — one project sought a 3-foot rooftop sunroom above a 30-foot limit or a 10x10 stairwell to access roof space — and that the City’s recently adopted Venice Local Implementation Plan allows comparable varied rooflines. Planning staff also said several exemptions were intended to resolve projects caught in the transition between prior rules and the newly adopted plan.

Opponents, including Council Member Walters and other speakers, argued the beachfront is a public citywide resource and cautioned that repeated exemptions encourage overbuilding, block views and reduce public access. “The beach is a public beach to which all of the city has the right to use it,” one opponent said.

Council members representing the district defended modest relief for projects already invested in pre-existing plans and noted adjacent structures of greater height in some cases. The three items (57–59) were taken together and approved by roll call with a recorded tally of 10 yes, 1 no.

What happens next: The approved hardship exemptions allow the specified minor rooftop/stairwell additions; council members said these are transitional exemptions tied to the implementation of the Venice coastal plan and that they expect the practice to end once the plan is fully in effect.