Congestion, Noise, Litter at Issue : City Council Approves Curbs on ‘Mini-Malls’

After 18 months of wrangling and compromise, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved controls on the construction of the “mini-mall” convenience shopping centers that have sprung up by the hundreds on street corners throughout the city.

After heated discussion, the council also signaled its intention to soon push through even stricter amendments governing the quick-stop centers, which typically include fast-food restaurants, dry cleaners and other urban necessities.

Seeks to Ease Complaints

The council’s action, and the strong statements foreshadowing future restrictions, sought to ease rising complaints over congestion, noise and litter connected with the small malls, most of them constructed on land formerly occupied by gas stations.

William C. Hayes, founder of Windsor Financial Corp., which has developed 150 such corner centers, said the controls approved Wednesday would cause substantial cuts in construction within months.

“Further cutbacks . . . could have a real disastrous effect,” he said.

Wednesday’s ordinance set up guidelines for development of centers adjacent to single-family homes. But council members said that as early as next week they will seek to broaden the ordinance to cover construction in residential or commercial areas.

The initial ordinance--worked out by Councilman Hal Bernson and city planning officials--calls for the installation of landscaping and lighting in the centers themselves, as well as the construction of walls separating the developments from residential areas.

Added Provision for Parking

Developers will be required to provide three parking spaces for each 1,000 square feet of commercial floor area--50% more than currently demanded.

In addition, centers that include fast-food restaurants or operate between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. will have to get construction approval from a city zoning administrator, who could require even more landscaping, parking spaces or improvements beyond the minimum.

Previously, developers have been able to build the centers without city approval or public hearings.

The initial approval came after a rancorous council session during which Bernson pleaded with his colleagues to let the measure go through without delaying the matter until stricter amendments could be drawn.

“By the time this thing gets passed, there won’t be any corners left to save,” a frustrated Bernson fumed. “This has been a year and a half!”

“This is a major citywide ordinance. If it means it waits three more days, damn it, then it waits,” retorted Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky.

Wins Unanimous Approval

Ultimately, Bernson won unanimous approval for his ordinance after pledging his support of amendments authored by other members. Together, the amendments would extend the ordinance to cover developments near any residential area--not just single-family homes--or near commercial areas, and would give homeowners or council members the right to appeal decisions by the zoning administrator. Another amendment would require that all corner developments in which restaurants take up 20% or more of the space be approved by zoning administrators.

City officials had no ready estimates of the number of mini-malls that have been developed in recent years, but said the total easily reaches into the hundreds. In the 18 months since city officials began discussing a controlling ordinance, Bernson said, about 40 have been built in his San Fernando Valley district alone.