For many of you living in Kentwood, particularly if you are on one of the through streets (80th, 83rd, etc.), you are most likely in violation of a code that prohibits you from encroaching on city property. For example if you live on Kentwood or Emerson Avenues or if you have property that borders on these two streets and you have built a fence, or created landscaping or created a semi-circular driveway or built any structure closer to the street than about 15 feet, you are in violation of encroachment.
You may petition the city to get a 'Revocable' permit from the City Public Works department to allow the encroachment. I did just that and I was rejected flat out because, according to the LA Dept PW, no one in the Kentwood area has applied or been granted one and they were not about to set a precedent with me.
The most egregious situation I know of is on Emerson. The right of way saved for the City on Emerson is 40 feet from the street center line. Yes, that is 40'. It brings the city owned property well beyond the sidewalk to somewhere on your front or side lawn. I am told by LACPW that Emerson Avenue is overdedicated by 8 feet from the norm. They should only be taking 32' instead of 40'. That takes the property line from your side patio near the house to some good distance inside your wall.
Emerson Avenue is listed as a 'collector' street with highway status. This may have made sense 50 years ago with potential plans to connect Emerson to Playa Vista or with Westchester Parkway. But with the Fire Station 5 gate on the south side and Cowan Elementary school on the north side, no traffic except local is envisioned for the forseable future.
Some LA neighborhoods show the property line at the inside sidewalk or even 1/2 way on to the sidewalk. Why not the same courtesy be extended to Kentwood residents?
If you would like to gain 15 to 20 feet of property on the side of your house or in the front, join me in developing a strategy to petition the city to bring City owned street right of ways in Kentwood to within reasonable standards.
