Encino Residents Say Property Values Wilting : Homeowners Suffer in Shadow of High-Rises

Lee Hodel’s house, once bathed in sunlight, is now covered by shadows five months a year.

The transformation took place five years ago when she got a new neighbor--a 12-story bank building that towers over her property just north of Ventura Boulevard in Encino.

Plants are dying, her swimming pool gets little use, her heating bill has risen and she and her husband have stocked their wardrobe with sweat shirts.

“It’s the sorriest thing in the world,” said Hodel, who lives in the 16300 block of Moorpark Street. “I believe in progress, but holy cow. I’d like to give that developer my heating bills.”

Hodel is one of a growing number of homeowners on either side of Ventura Boulevard who have stood by helplessly and watched single-story businesses give way to tall office buildings during the past few years.

Hodel, who bought her home 28 years ago, said she and many of her neighbors were shocked to learn that the lot behind her house, where a service station once stood, was zoned for an office high-rise.

“Our neighborhood tried to fight the building,” Hodel said, “but we were told we couldn’t do anything. The zoning had been on the books for 20 years.”

Residents say the buildings reduce their property values, flood their homes with unwelcome light at night and rob them of privacy by providing an audience of office workers each time they venture into their backyards.

Buffer of Walnut Trees

Gone is Hodel’s view of the Santa Monica Mountains. Instead, her husband planted walnut trees to block the bank’s stark, seven-story gray cement parking structure that abuts their property.

“It’s sad,” Hodel said. “It’s very depressing. Oh, I do miss the sun so much.”

Leaders of homeowner groups in the southern portion of the San Fernando Valley warn that the problem is likely to spread as financial conditions improve for builders.

Up and down the boulevard--particularly in Encino and Sherman Oaks--dozens of properties with single-story businesses are zoned to permit six-story buildings. Many of the commercial lots back up to single-family homes.

Homeowner groups, which have succeeded in recent years in limiting developments to six stories in most areas on Ventura Boulevard, have joined in support of a measure introduced by City Councilmen Marvin Braude and Joel Wachs that would impose a one-year moratorium on buildings taller than three stories.

The moratorium, expected to be vigorously opposed by the building industry, would give city planners an opportunity to reduce zoning in Sherman Oaks, Encino and Tarzana and develop traffic and parking improvements.

There are strict height limits along Ventura Boulevard in Studio City and Woodland Hills.

According to real estate broker James R. Gary, many of the homes where there are, or might be, high-rises are estate-size residences built in the 1940s, when Ventura Boulevard was a sparsely developed commercial strip.

The value of those homes is severely affected by a neighboring office structure, Gary said.

Buyers Discouraged

Prudence Maree, who is trying to sell one such home on Densmore Avenue just south of Ventura Boulevard has felt the effect. The presence of nearby high-rises, she said, discourages buyers.

Maree said she listed the 3,000-square-foot home on a half-acre lot for $575,000 in March but has dropped the price to $495,000.

“The high-rise has proved to be a nuisance,” Maree said. “I’ve had no offers at all and really not too many lookers. Architecturally, it’s quite a haven. It’s one-half acre, with some of the oldest oak trees in Encino.

“Once you get in here and close the iron gate, you’re totally secluded. But many people don’t like living that close to a commercial strip.”

By all accounts, the most glaring example of a building towering over homes is the six-story, 400,000-square-foot Fujita Corp. building on the north side of Ventura Boulevard between Densmore and Gloria avenues. Nine homes in the 15800 block of Moorpark Street lie in the shadow of the mammoth structure, separated from the building by only a few feet.

‘Uncomfortable Feeling’

“What a monstrosity,” homeowner Lori Kaplan said. “I had my family over for Father’s Day, and it was a very uncomfortable feeling to have that building staring at us.”

Owners of the nine homes have received offers from nearby Valley Beth Shalom to sell their properties for a temple parking lot.

Leonard Young, spokesman for the homeowners, refused to comment on the negotiations, saying: “Until there is something concrete, I’d rather not talk about it. All talking about it does is devalue our property.”

Kaplan said she bought her home in 1981, in part because of the convenience of a Boys Market, which was located on what is now the office-building lot.

“The real estate agent didn’t disclose that the market was being sold,” Kaplan said. “I paid $215,000, and I could slit my throat.”

Expects to Break Even

Kaplan said she expects to do no better than break even on the property, but probably will lose money.

“Nobody on the street will give their homes away,” she said. “We want a fair shake.”

Brad Rosenheim, an aide to Councilman Braude, described the situation in Kaplan’s neighborhood as the most dramatic example along Ventura Boulevard of high-rises towering over homes. In other areas, he said, homes are buffered from office buildings by apartments, parking lots or alleys.

“Unfortunately, most people are not aware of the zoning on neighboring properties, which is really too bad,” Rosenheim said. “Until you have an experience like some of these people are having, you never think about that. But the fact is that when you move anywhere near a commercial area, you have to be very careful.

“Backing up to a market of one or two stories is nothing, compared to what is there now. Unfortunately, these people learned the hard way.”

Other Opposition Possible

Kaplan acknowledged that, if homeowners and temple officials agree on a selling price, the proposal to build a parking lot may generate opposition from her neighbors on the north side of Moorpark, who would then look out at cars instead of homes.

“I feel for those people, I really do,” Kaplan said. “But I’ve got to get out of here. I would like to relocate in the same area, but I’ll be much more careful next time.”