Local News in Brief : Landscape Rules Offered

Front yards could no longer be paved and apartment projects would have to be landscaped under amendments to the city’s zoning laws proposed Wednesday by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

Bradley directed the city Planning Commission to initiate the changes after receiving complaints from two homeowner groups. One pointed out that although condominium projects must be landscaped, no such zoning provision applies to apartment complexes. The other noted that homeowners in the Hollywood area were paving their lawns and using them for parking.

Parking on a lawn is illegal in the city, but paving it is not. Bradley said if lawn paving is outlawed, it would make enforcement of the parking ban easier.