West Hollywood : Law Allows Condo Sales

The West Hollywood City Council on Monday formally adopted an ordinance that will allow owners of illegally converted condominiums to sell their units.

Mayor Abbe Land said the action allows the city to grant substitute permits to owners of condominiums that have been the subject of a legal dispute since July 13. Land said forms and permits were not yet prepared, but she and City Atty. Michael Jenkins announced last week that they should be available by the end of this month.

The adoption of the ordinance appears to end the dispute, in which individuals who bought units illegally converted from apartments to condominiums were caught in the middle of a city suit against the developers. A court decision in July upheld a city law preventing conversions without city permission, throwing some owners into legal limbo. They were not able to sell the units because they did not have proper permits from the city and could not obtain permits while the legal battle continued.

Owners who bought illegally converted units between Dec. 17, 1986, and July 13, 1989 are automatically eligible for the special permits. Owners who bought units after July 13 may still get permits, subject to a decision by the city attorney’s office.

Plans to adopt the ordinance were announced at a news conference last week. With Monday’s action, the council may have allayed the fears of owners who said they did not trust the city to implement the program.

The state Supreme Court has also agreed to decide whether the city ordinance on conversions is legal and could overturn the July decision.