You Can't Have It Your Way, LA: New Fast-Food Joints Banned
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to address the over-concentration of fast-food restaurants in South Los Angeles by banning new establishments from opening within a half-mile radius of existing eateries.
The newly approved ordinance will alter the neighborhood design guidelines for the area — defined specifically as West Adams, Baldwin Hills, Leimert, South Los Angeles and Southeast Los Angeles — upon being signed by the mayor.
The approval of the ordinance comes in the wake of the September expiration of a two-year moratorium on the opening of new fast-food establishments in the same area.
KNX 1070's Bill Cooper reports
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"For a community to thrive, it is important to have balance; a full variety of food, retail and service providers," said Councilman Bernard Parks, who represents part of South Los Angeles.
"When you're dealing with a finite amount of land, proper planning and design guidelines are essential to ensuring a high quality of life that all residents of Los Angeles deserve," he said.
Councilwoman Jan Perry said the community clamored for more food choices in their neighborhoods.
"When we talk to our community members and the people that we were elected to represent, the one thing that we hear over and over and over again is: `We need more grocery stores, we need more restaurants, we need more choices, we are tired of the choices that have been given to this community," she said.
In its report to the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee, the Planning Commission noted that "limited service or fast-food establishments compromise 71.8 percent of the establishments in South Los Angeles, compared to 40.8 percent of West Los Angeles establishments and 47.7 percent of Los Angeles County establishments."
"In addition, South Los Angeles has fewer grocery stores and traditional sit-down establishments, thereby limiting the opportunity to grocery shop and prepare a meal at home, or dining at a full service establishment," the report states.
Under the new guidelines, new stand-alone fast food establishments will no longer be able to obtain permits and other approvals by right, but by meeting several criteria, including staying at least a half-mile away from
existing establishments.
Their operators will also have to comply with aesthetic requirements on landscaping, provide rear parking, and meet other requirements aimed at ensuring the compatibility of the project with the surrounding community.
The new guidelines will not apply to fast-food establishments in so- called "mixed-use projects."
Lark Galloway-Gilliam, executive director of the advocacy group Community Health Councils Inc., said the over-concentration of fast-food establishments in South L.A. has contributed to high rates of heart disease,
diabetes and obesity.
"It's not by accident, it's what we eat," she said. "You can't leave an elementary school or high school without walking on a major corridor and finding a fast-food restaurant — that's where our children are getting their nutrition, and we're talking about food that exceeds the percentage of fat than the national standards recommended for adults, much less children."
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