Canoga Park Interim Zoning Limits Houses

The Los Angeles Planning Commission agreed Thursday to restrict home construction in northern Canoga Park until city planners can draft a long-range plan for development in the area.

Under an interim ordinance, approved during a commission meeting at the Van Nuys Woman’s Club, single-family homes could be built only on lots larger than 17,500 square feet in the area.

The aim is to preserve the semi-rural character of the neighborhood, said Phil Hall, a city planning assistant who helped draft the ordinance. Many families in the area keep horses on their property, he noted.

The area is bordered by Canoga Avenue on the west, Parthenia Street on the north, Lurline Avenue on the east and Roscoe Boulevard on the south.

The ordinance still must be approved by the City Council. Hall said that the ordinance could be on a council agenda in two or three months and that it would take effect immediately if approved.

Hall said the city Planning Department staff prepared the interim ordinance at the urging of City Councilman Hal Bernson after residents complained that developers built houses on small lots--about 5,000 square feet--that did not blend in with the existing homes.

Although city zoning laws allow builders to construct houses on 5,000-square-foot lots in the area, most houses in the neighborhood are on larger parcels, he said.

A citizens advisory committee has recommended that city planners scrap the 5,000-square-foot lots when they draft a general plan for the area and for portions of Chatsworth and Porter Ranch.

That plan should be completed by the time the interim ordinance expires after 18 months, Hall said.

By approving an interim ordinance now, Hall said, the city blocked developers who might try to build in the area before the general plan is completed.