Historic Building Side yard Setback vs the current required sideyard setback.

[Remington]

We’re trying to create an addition to a balcony of a historic home in the City of Los Angeles (Hancock Park area). The required side yard setback is 8 feet but the historic balcony currently only has 5’-6”. We found the following Municipal Code which would seem to allow us to add the addition at only 5’-6” side yard setback. I cant think of any provision of the code that would not allow us to create this addition using the existing grand-fathered-in side yard setback. Am I wrong?

SEC. 12.22. C.26. Yards Required for Historically Significant Buildings. Notwithstanding any provision of the Los Angeles Municipal Code to the contrary, in connection with any change of use in an historically significant building, the yards required shall be the same as the yards observed by the existing structures on the site. An historically significant building is defined as a structure that is designated on the National Register of Historic Places, including Contributing Buildings in National Register Historic Districts, the California Register of Historical Resources, the City of Los Angeles List of Historic-Cultural Monuments, or a Contributing Structure in an Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) established pursuant to Section 12.20.3 of this Code. (Added by Ord. No. 172,792, Eff. 10/4/99.)

 

[ICE]

Ask the LA City Planning Department.

 

[jar546]

This is being moved to planning and zoning. I am not sure why this was posted in the residential building code section.

 

[e hilton]

My interpretation & prediction … the existing balcony can stay as-is, anything new has to be compliant.

 

[Remington]

This is being moved to planning and zoning. I am not sure why this was posted in the residential building code se

This is being moved to planning and zoning. I am not sure why this was posted in the residential building code section.

Thanks. Didnt see there was this section of the forum

 

[Remington]

My interpretation & prediction … the existing balcony can stay as-is, anything new has to be compliant.

My original thought was the same as yours but this code (SEC. 12.22. C.26. ) I found under exceptions seems to say otherwise. It's very specific in that it says "Historically Significant Buildings". A non-historic building is allowed to maintain a grand-fathered-in structure but must observe the new setback codes for any additions. Isnt this code saying something a little different for a Historically Significant Building?