Renewal Needed? : Council Orders Blight Study in Van Nuys’ Core

Los Angeles City Council on Friday authorized a study to determine if there is enough blight in central Van Nuys to justify redevelopment and whether residents want such a project.

The study, which will be done jointly by the Community Redevelopment Agency and the Los Angeles City Planning Department, is the first step toward establishing a redevelopment area.

By a 10-1 vote, the council instructed the two agencies to recommend “revitalization strategies for the physical, social and economic improvement of the commercial and residential sectors of central Van Nuys.”

Councilman Joel Wachs said the area to be studied is broader than the 50 blocks that state Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys) recently recommended for redevelopment.

Residents Express Concerns

Both redevelopment proposals have raised concern among some Van Nuys residents, particularly an organization of predominantly young couples who have purchased more than 30% of the homes in a neighborhood near central Van Nuys in an attempt to create their own Christian religious community.

Robbins met Friday night with homeowners from the religious group, who do not want to be included in any redevelopment zone. He backed down from his original proposal that a residential area west of Van Nuys Boulevard between Kittridge and Oxnard streets be included in a zone.

He told the group that he will send a letter to City Council and the CRA asking the neighborhood to be excluded from any zone designation. He also said his staff will conduct a block-by-block survey of residents on other streets to measure their support or opposition to his proposal.

When asked why he suggested boundaries without asking residents first, he said the boundaries “initially seemed reasonable. You need to propose an area to get things going.” Robbins added that “any area, any section, who wants out will have my support.”

Councilman Ernani Bernardi echoed the residents’ complaints Friday. Bernardi, whose district included Van Nuys until it was shifted farther north by the recent redistricting, told the council that Van Nuys is not blighted and will redevelop faster and better without help from the Community Redevelopment Agency.

Bernardi predicted that any attempt to establish a redevelopment area will draw the city into court.

Redevelopment Not Certain

However, Wachs said Friday that the study will not lead directly to redevelopment.

“There is not going to be redevelopment if it is not legal,” he said. “There is not going to be redevelopment if there is not strong community support.”

A spokesman for the CRA said he cannot predict how long or detailed the study will be.

Bob Fazio of the agency’s Planning and Urban Design Department said the first step will be to set specific boundaries for the study and estimate its cost. The agency will then report to the council for authorization to proceed, he said.