Whereas Lincoln Place has been found eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the California Historic Resources Commission with support from the foremost preservation organizations in California and the United States; and

Whereas Lincoln Place has been praised by experts nationwide for its superb design and open-space site plan; and

Whereas Lincoln Place testifies to what the post-WWII generation did to solve its acute housing shortage; and

Whereas Lincoln Place embodies the values of a generation that believed all people deserve quality housing with aesthetic value; and

Whereas the historic neighborhoods of Venice should be protected and preserved for future generations to enjoy and learn from; and

Whereas Lincoln Place and its residents have been an integral part of the fabric, community and history of Venice for over five decades; and

Whereas Lincoln Place provides significant open space which has traditionally been enjoyed by both neighbors and residents of Lincoln Place; and

Whereas locally elected neighborhood councils were created under the Los Angeles City charter reform to advise other city entities on all issues impacting their neighborhoods; and

Whereas the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council, as Venice’s most local elected body, is uniquely situated to determine the existence of a significant local historical resource; and

Whereas the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council strongly condemns the demolition of seven of the historic apartment buildings in 2003 by owners AIMCO and Los Angeles Lincoln Place Investors; and

Whereas the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council likewise condemns the lack of maintenance of the buildings and gardens; and

Whereas AIMCO in March of 2004 misrepresented to the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council’s Co-Chair of the Land Use and Planning Committee that it had no plans to demolish vacant buildings at Lincoln Place and had in fact already initiated demolition notices and permit applications; and

Whereas Lincoln Place residents in a Sept 23, 2004 letter from AIMCO have been told they will have to relocate out of the complex and in conversations have said that if tenants do not relocate "voluntarily" waiving all rights by February 1, 2005 they will be subject to Ellis Act evictions; and

Whereas AIMCO has no valid demolition permits; and

Whereas it is unlikely that AIMCO can proceed with formulating any plans until sometime in 2005 when the appellate court will rule in two lawsuits before it, thus clarifying what historic preservation protections Lincoln Place currently has under the LA Municipal Code and under the California Environmental Quality Act; and

Whereas the continued emptying out of the Lincoln Place units threatens the entire community with the risk of blight and crime; and

Whereas the displacement of our long-time residents and neighbors represents a cruelty to them which the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council soundly rejects and would as well represent a loss to our community as a whole; and

Whereas the Grass Roots Venice Council is well aware of and supports the Lincoln Place Tenants Association’s ongoing efforts to provide AIMCO with a willing buyer of sufficient resources whose goal it is to preserve the historic buildings and site plan, protect the tenancies of its residents and, potentially, to offer residents the opportunity to buy their units;

Therefore be it resolved, that the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council wholeheartedly supports the listing of Lincoln Place on the National or California Register of Historical Places and urges the City to name Lincoln Place a City Cultural Heritage Monument

That the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council strenuously oppose and continue to oppose any demolition or project which does not preserve the integrity of the Lincoln Place Historic Buildings and open-space site plan; and

That the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council strenuously oppose and continue to oppose any plan which involves the displacement of Lincoln Place tenants; and

That AIMCO be admonished that it is in its interest and ours to mend its ways and become a proper and good neighbor; and

That AIMCO be encouraged to work with the Tenants Association in the pursuit of a win/win for all which provides for: