The YMCA has offered the Pacific Palisades Design Review Board a place to meet.
Shout Out to the YMCA
The Palisades-Malibu YMCA has told the Palisades Design Review board that it can meet at the YMCA headquarters, located at 821 Via de la Paz.
According to L.A. City Planning Associate Kenton Trinh’s January 4 email, “I am happy to announce that Jim Kirtley, Executive Director at the Palisades-Malibu YMCA, has agreed to let us use some of their space for our meetings, which now begin at 6 p.m.
“When you enter the YMCA building, you will have to sign in with the YMCA per their policy and procedure,” Trinh said. “The meeting room is across the gym and up the stairs.”
DRB meetings are open to the public, and will resume on January 23 with a final review of decals and the gas-price sign at the 76 station at Sunset and Via de la Paz.
Meetings were held regularly at the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce office when Arnie Wishnick was executive director. The Antioch location was easily accessible to the people who sat on the board (all are Pacific Palisades residents) and to the people who had to present. Presentations involve businesses in the central business district.
After Wishnick retired and the Chamber office was remodeled last fall, the DRB was no longer invited to meet in an empty after-hours room and was forced to meet at the West Los Angeles Municipal Building (located near the 405 and 10 Freeway interchange)–at 6 p.m. The building closes at 5, forcing meetings to be held in the lobby.
In a December 23 story titled “Design Review Board Needs Place to Meet,” Circling the News reported that we had emailed Chamber President Bob Benton and asked why the DRB couldn’t resume meeting in the Chamber office. He responded that the decision was made by the Chamber before he took over his position as president.
CTN contacted Chamber board chair Susan Payne, who responded on December 20: “We decided as a group to stop allowing outside groups from meeting in our office a while ago.”
CTN asked in a return email, “If outside groups are not allowed [even those that are City entities], why is the Business Improvement District board meeting there?” She did not respond to the inquiry.
The YMCA’s Kirtley is to be applauded for allowing a business-related board to meet at the Y, saving DRB and community members a rush-hour slog to Santa Monica Blvd. and Barrington.
Residents attending Design Review Meetings need to check in at the YMCA front desk.,
A second shout out to Jim Kirtley and the YMCA. They take Marie Villemarie and her amazing yarnbombing installation on the Village Green under their insurance umbrella, making it possible for the community to enjoy her whimsical work.
In my opinion as a long-time former Pac Pal Design Review Board member, The PP Chamber may have a basic conflict of interest with the DRB because the DRB holds Pacpalcalusa businesses responsible to comply with The Pacific Palisades Specific Plan. The DRB also analyses proposed projects in order to provide design recommendations that help maximize our PP Specific Plan esthetic effectiveness as well.