Central Los Angeles Area Planning Commission · Held

Central Los Angeles Area Planning Commission meeting, August 25, 2026

August 25, 2026, 4:30 p.m. · Updated October 2, 2026

From official records: The Central Los Angeles Area Planning Commission on Aug. 25, 2026, granted in part, 4-1, the neighborhood appeal of a permit legalizing a synagogue in a converted duplex and garage at 200-202 S. Orange Drive, keeping the permit and limiting occupancy to 75 people and to 30 children in the converted garage, the Larchmont Chronicle reported (Larchmont Chronicle, Sept. 24, 2026). The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council's Sept. 9 agenda says the Commission replaced several conditions with stricter ones recommended by Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky. No determination letter was posted as of Oct. 1, 2026; the agenda listed four appeals.

As of October 2, 2026, outcomes for the August 25, 2026 meeting of the Central Los Angeles Area Planning Commission come from official records posted so far, such as council files, recorded votes and filed statements. Some results may be missing until the full minutes are posted and read.

5. Synagogue at 200-202 S. Orange Drive

• What it does: Legalizes the conversion of a duplex and the first level of a detached garage in the R2-1 zone into a house of worship: assembly on the duplex’s first floor, a caretakers’ residence above, and care for children under eight in the garage building during services. The Zoning Administrator approved a conditional use permit on April 9, 2026 (agenda; ZA determination).
• Who brought it: Applicant Yekusiel Kalmenson. Four appeals: Leslie Maisel; John Perfitt; the Citrus Square Neighbors Association, represented by The Kropp Law Firm; and Jeffry Carpenter. Continued from June 23 (agenda).
• Who it affects: Council District 5, Wilshire plan area (agenda).
• Neighborhood council positions: The Zoning Administrator’s April 9 determination says letters in support came from the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council and Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, both recommending conditions of approval (ZA determination). The Greater Wilshire NC’s Sept. 9 agenda had a motion to appoint a representative to quarterly compliance meetings with the applicant, Council District 5 and the neighbors’ association, which it describes as one of the Commission’s conditions (GWNC agenda).
• Coverage: Before the permit application, the Larchmont Buzz reported that the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council board voted 16-0 with two abstentions to recommend that the City require the synagogue to apply for a conditional use permit, and that the motion said the council opposed the institutional use; about 30 neighbors attended (Larchmont Buzz, Nov. 10, 2023). The Larchmont Chronicle reported that the hearing ran nearly eight hours, that a compliance review will follow 18 to 24 months after the determination takes effect, and that the rewritten letter of determination was expected in 45 to 60 days (Larchmont Chronicle, Sept. 24, 2026).
• What happened: The Larchmont Chronicle reported that the Commission granted the neighborhood appeal in part on a 4-1 vote on Aug. 25, sustained the underlying permit, limited occupancy to 75 people and to 30 children in the converted garage, and required the synagogue to get a Replacement Unit Determination from the Housing Department (Larchmont Chronicle, Sept. 24, 2026). No determination letter or action appears on the case record as of Oct. 1, 2026. The Greater Wilshire NC agenda says the Commission “modified several conditions recommended by the Zoning Administrator in favor of more stringent conditions recommended by Councilmember Yaroslavsky”; it gives the hearing date as Aug. 28 (GWNC agenda).
• What’s next: No record of a reconsideration was posted on City Planning’s meeting index as of Oct. 1, 2026.

Minutes for Aug. 25 were not posted on City Planning’s meeting index as of Oct. 1, 2026. Audio is posted.

Previous meeting: August 11, 2026 · Next meeting: September 8, 2026 · All meetings