During an Executive Session of the Venice City Council on August 26, a modest victory was achieved for the residents of North Venice. In a previous session held earlier this year, the proposal to increase the density within the Visteria* community was discussed and ultimately rejected.
Subsequently, the City’s General Counsel engaged a Special Counsel, Mark Bentley, to draft a Mediation Settlement Agreement that would be mutually acceptable to both the City Council and Mr. Neal.
The outcome of the Mediation Agreement was complex and resulted in a 4-3 decision to reject the plan. The primary concern raised in the agreement was related to the requested 65 ft building height variance, rather than density. The agreement stipulated that either the height variance would be accepted, or the agreement would become null and void.
The recent City Council decision effectively prevents Mr. Neal from constructing a 65’ high building as well as increasing the population density of the Visteria* property.
*Community being built further west along Laurel Road
The numbers within the various communities are the total number of residences built, under construction or planned.