Dear Neighbor:

You may be aware that the City is revising its 35 community plans, and we want to ensure our voices are heard.  The Echo Park Neighborhood Council is conducting a survey of households and individuals about their views of our neighborhood.  The survey is mainly about:

• How does housing affect community?
• What transportation services are in need of attention?
• Where do we want new development?
• How should we handle development where property is already occupied?
• What makes Echo Park unique?

Instructions:

In order to recommend changes to the Community Plan for Echo Park, we need to reach a representative sample of the community.   You are eligible to participate if you live, or work, or gather in Echo Park. Your answers will remain anonymous and confidential.  Please consider providing as much information as you care comfortable sharing to help us ensure our sample is truly representative of our community.

For additional information about this survey or the Echo Park Neighborhood Council, please sign up for online updates at www.echoparknc.com and we will email you separately.

Q1: Are you a local stakeholder?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you are eligible to take the survey.  This survey should take about 10-20 minutes to complete.

BEGIN SURVEY:

Q2. What do you like/love about our neighborhood?

Q 3:  Housing

Housing quality, quantity, density, and other factors change the way people live in Echo Park as individuals and as a community. Please let us know your priorities in maintaining or building residential property and other housing:

+garages or granny flats, or other rental units on single family property
*Should not cost more than 30% of monthly income.  Low income is defined as 80% of median monthly income (app $5,000 City wide, app $3,200 Echo Park are according to 2010 census, see below for HUD definitions of Low /Very Low income).  Net rental cost should be $1200 per month or less for a family of four, $840 per month for an individual.
** Should not cost more than 30% of monthly income.  Very Low income is defined as 50% of median monthly income.  Net rental cost should be $750 per month or less for a family of four, or $525 per month for an individual.
*** Low income tenants whose Rent Stabilized buildings are demolished
Multi Family is between three and ten units on a single property, like small lot subdivision.
High density is more than ten units in a single building, like urban construction in high density areas of New York, Chicago, Paris, London, etc.

HUD defiinition of Low Income is 80% of median aea family income assuming a family of four; in LA City, that is $4,000 per month for a fmily of four, or adjusted $2800 individual income.

HUD definition of Very Low Income is 50% of median area family income, or $2500 per month for a family of four, $1750 for an individual.

Q 4-5:  Homeless/Houseless community member services

Some members of our community are houseless.  Our outdoor, community and park spaces are being used in unstructured ways.  A very visible example is homeless encampments.

Structured encampments are a novel idea that would be organized and sanctioned by the City to provide stability of location to unhoused peopld, and maintain services such as:  mental health; restrooms; trash pick up; security; etc. while they are waiting for permanent housing.

^City program where security and services are provided for vehicle dwellers, evening stays only
** Should not cost more than 30% of monthly income.  Very Low income is defined as 50% of median monthly income.  Net rental cost should be $750 per month or less for a family of four, or $525 per month for an individual.
*** Low income tenants whose Rent Stabilized buildings are demolished
Multi Family is between three and ten units on a single property, like small lot subdivision.
High density is more than ten units in a single building, like urban construction in high density areas of New York, Chicago, Paris, London, etc.

HUD defiinition of Low Income is 80% of median aea family income assuming a family of four; in LA City, that is $4,000 per month for a fmily of fouor, or adjusted $2800 individual income.

HUD definition of Very Low Income is 50% of median area family income, or $2500 per month for a family of four, $1750 for an individual.

Q 6-8: New Development in Echo Park
New development can be categorized in terms of:  number of units, amount of required parking, percentage of included low income and very low income units, required replacement units for demolished homes, and opportunities for business or commercial space.

Q 9-10: Community Character

Q 11-14: Transit

Q 15-17: Infrastructure and Community Resources in Echo Park

Demographic information--Your answers will remain anonymous.  You may choose not to answer, but more information will help us confirm that our sampling is representative of our community.

Thank you for taking the time to fill out the Echo Park Community Plan Survey. For additional information about this survey or the Echo Park Neighborhood Council, please sign up for on-line updates and we will email you separately.