Bernardi to Seek Limit on Growth in District

Concerned about dramatic growth in his northeast San Fernando Valley district, City Councilman Ernani Bernardi said Wednesday that he will seek to impose a moratorium on large apartment and condominium projects in Arleta, Pacoima and Sylmar.

Bernardi said he will introduce the moratorium at Friday’s meeting in response to complaints from homeowners about increased crime, traffic and other problems created by the rash of high-density development in the northeast San Fernando Valley communities, which are part of his district.

The proposal would cut the density of new apartment and condominium projects by more than half, from the 50 units per acre now permitted to 20, according to Bernardi.

The moratorium, which would be in effect for six months with a possible one-year extension, requires the approval of the full council and Mayor Tom Bradley.

Buying Time

It is designed to give the city time to consider changes in zoning to permanently restrict development of apartments and condominiums in the northeast Valley communities.

Bernardi said that, once the moratorium is approved, he will appoint a citizens’ committee to advise the city on how much development should be permanently restricted. The committee, he said, will be made up of representatives of homeowners associations, equestrian groups, chambers of commerce and property owners.

Bernardi said in an interview that he is concerned that the city and the school district do not have the resources to handle the growth that is occurring in the northeast Valley. Residents, he said, are concerned that overdevelopment will put a further strain on already limited public services, such as police, roads and schools.

“The problem we have is that we’re getting a lot of growth,” said David Mays, a Bernardi aide. “The city services are not keeping up with the growth.”

Fastest-Growing Area

“There’s no question,” Bernardi said, “the more intense you permit a community to develop, the more social problems.”

The northeast Valley has been one of the fastest-growing areas of the city, city planners say. It has had some of the last large tracts of undeveloped land in the city, and the opening of the Foothill Freeway in 1981 placed it within a 45-minute drive of downtown Los Angeles.

Long-time residents of Sylmar have complained about growing number of apartments and condominiums along Foothill Boulevard in their community. They say the many complexes that line each side of the road have not only increased traffic congestion but threatened to change the rural character of the community.