The application by Aaron Swerdlow was taken under advisement by two city officials after a public hearing in the City Hall attended by Westside Village residents, a Palms apartment owner, the secretary of the Palms Neighborhood Council and a representative from the Westside Neighborhood Council.

The hearing was enlivened by news from the city Department of Transportation that there will be no access allowed to the building from National Blvd., that traffic will go into and out of the building only via the alley on the south side.

Homeowner Michael Lott of Queensland Street said he was concerned with the spillover of parking onto his street, which he said is already being used by the Blockbuster on the corner and a large apartment building on Overland.

He said there is a movement in the neighborhood to form a restricted-parking district as well as an idea that Queensland should be cut off from National because the former is "being used as a thoroughfare."

Robert Morgan, owner of a building on Cheviot Vista Place (map at right), said he was concerned that the elimination of a setback requirement for the new structure "would affect the character of the neighborhood." He was followed by his wife, Nancy, who supported her husband.

Palms Neighborhood Council Secretary George Garrigues said that Palms had approved the project, that the building would become the "gateway to Palms" and that the Palms council would like to "get more input from neighbors as the project goes forward."

Paul Backstrom, a representative from Council Member Jack Weiss's office, said "we support the project," which he also called a "gateway to Palms."

Barbara Broide of the Westside Neighborhood Council (north of National) said her council had taken no position on the building but was concerned about the actual experience of "live-work" loft projects being built around the city.

"Do people really live and work in the same place?" she asked, saying that followup studies should be made to provide some answers to that question.

The project is Case No. APCW-2005-6968 and can be accessed through the city's Zoning Improvement and Map System (does not work with Macintosh Safari). More information is available through city officials Nick Polimeni at (213) 978-1453 or Jim Tokunaga at (213) 978-1172.

Mario Bruhwiler is the Palms Neighborhood Council residential representative for that area. He can be reached at bruhwilerm@yahoo.com.

F. Danny Monempour is the Palms Neighborhood Council business representative for that area. He can be reached at danny@monemco.com.