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PLANNING WATCH - At the center of this complex case is a Historical Cultural Monument (HCM) nomination (CHC-2024-6156-HCM) for the William Mellentin Birdhouse Apartments at 5922 N. Buffalo Avenue in Valley Glen, a neighborhood of Studio City in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.
The property's new owners, Roozben Alizedeh and Maryam Zavareh, applied to demolish to existing structure when they bought the building and parcel in the summer of 2024, Despite legal requirements in the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC 91.106.4.5.1), no signs were posted, and no tenants were informed. Frank Richter, who lives near the site, only learned about the proposed demolition when talking to a neighbor.
Mr. Richter then filed an Historic-Cultural Monument application for the site to the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission. They accepted his application on September 24, 2024, and then approved it. This action should have halted all permits and proposed demolitions for this site, shown in the photo below.
William Mellentin Birdhouse Apartments
Since then the Cultural Heritage Commission unanimously voted in favor of the designation of the William Mellentin Birdhouse Apartments as an Historic-Cultural Monument. The City Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUM) confirmed this action on April 8, 2025, two days before its scheduled meeting on April 10, 2025. The Council File lists this decree, but provides no documentation of a CPC agenda, meeting, or vote.
In February 2025, however, the Department of City Planning sent out its 'interpretation' of the implementation of the Housing Crisis Act of 2019. These machinations are enough to make your head spin.
Then, on March 13, 2025, a few weeks ahead of the phantom PLUM hearing, the Director of Planning Vince Bertoni approved a development plan for this site, even though it conflicts with the Historic Cultural Monument application because of an ambiguous 'vesting' clause embedded in Mayor Bass’s Executive Directive 1 (ED1). This allowed the structure, at 5922-5930 Buffalo Street, to be demolished despite the Historic-Cultural designation of the Cultural Affairs Commission, which should have prevented demolition.
This scenario has never happened before, and it sets a dangerous precedent for future Historical-Cultural Monument (HCM) nominations. If a HCM decision can be ignored, as long as an owner gets his plans 'approved' before the final City Council vote, then where does this leave the historical designation process? In effect, City Council actions can eliminate preservation decisions made by the Cultural Heritage Commission.
Whichever way this eventually plays out, this story is closely connected to enthusiasm throughout Los Angeles for Mayor Bass’s Executive Directive 1 (ED1), even if it results in the destruction of existing neighborhoods by eliminating community input, environmental studies, and especially pending Historic-Cultural Monument designations.
This history behind these actions is worth revisiting. The Cultural Heritage Commission was established 60 years ago specifically for last-minute scenarios, such as this one. This is why there is a required 30 day waiting period when applying for a demolition, to allow for a review of Historical-Cultural Monument nominations.
The 'vesting' application was granted after the Cultural Heritage Commission accepted the Historical Cultural Monument application for this site. Those demolition plans should not have been covertly approved prior to a City Council vote on this site.
*This article is based on material prepared by Frank Richter.
(Dick Platkin ([email protected]) is a retired LA city planner, who reports on local planning issues. He is a board member of United Neighborhoods for Los Angeles (UN4LA). Previous columns are available at the CityWatchLA archives.)
CW Fast Summary:
The William Mellentin Birdhouse Apartments in Valley Glen were nominated as a Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) after neighbors discovered demolition plans by new owners Roozben Alizedeh and Maryam Zavareh, who had failed to notify tenants or post required signs. Despite the Cultural Heritage Commission unanimously voting in favor of the HCM designation — and the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee affirming it — the Director of Planning approved demolition in March 2025 under Mayor Bass’s Executive Directive 1 (ED1). This was done citing a "vesting" clause, allowing the project to move forward before the Council’s final vote, effectively overriding historic protections.
The case sets a troubling precedent by undermining the city's preservation process, raising concerns that future HCM nominations could be bypassed through fast-tracked development approvals. It illustrates a growing conflict between ED1’s housing push and neighborhood preservation efforts, highlighting a lack of transparency and community input.
