L.A. Council Panel OKs Sylmar Development

The Planning and Environment Committee of the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday re-approved a proposal for a Sylmar industrial development that was adopted by the council more than a year ago, then invalidated by a judge.

The committee voted 3 to 0 in for a plan by Dick Dunn Development Co. to build a light industrial park on 13 acres north of the intersection of Ralston Avenue and Roxford Street, an area where horses, houses, mobile homes and factories have long had an uneasy coexistence.

The council originally adopted a zone change to allow the development in October, 1984.

The Sylmar Homeowners for K-Districting Assn., which supports the maintenance of horse-keeping areas, sued the city, arguing that its members had not been properly notified of a Planning Commission hearing.

In June, 1985, a Superior Court judge ruled in the group’s favor and ordered the case back to the commission, which voted 3 to 2 in support of the development in September.

The project’s opponents told the Planning and Environment Committee Tuesday that the development would increase already intolerable truck traffic and cause deterioration of residential streets, creating justification for future encroachments by industries into residential areas.

Howard Finn, the committee chairman, said neighboring properties will be protected by requiring that the developer install a masonry wall and a 10-foot landscaped buffer to shield adjoining properties, and by limiting building to a maximum of 30 feet.

The council must vote again on the project.