Local News in Brief : Building Bans Imposed

Slow-growth advocates in three San Gabriel Valley cities--Monterey Park, Alhambra and Sierra Madre--have won victories this week in their efforts to curb development.

The Monterey Park City Council unanimously approved a 45-day ban on new apartments and condominiums in the city’s most congested areas. The action prohibits the city from issuing building permits on 199 acres zoned for multi-family housing.

In neighboring Alhambra, the council adopted a 45-day moratorium that will stop new construction projects in areas zoned for multiple-residential units while more restrictive zoning is considered. The proposed zoning, designed to preserve single-family neighborhoods, would reduce the number of condominiums and apartments allowed.

In Sierra Madre, the council imposed a 45-day moratorium on construction in the undeveloped hillside area while the city drafts new development standards. “Some of our people just don’t want to see any more of the hillside scarred,” Mayor Clem Bartolai said.