Van Nuys Area : Plan to Limit Apartment Boom Gains

A temporary ordinance restricting apartment construction in Van Nuys and north Sherman Oaks was approved Tuesday by a Los Angeles City Council committee.

The measure, introduced by Councilman Joel Wachs, is designed to control intense apartment and condominium construction in the area while city planners revise the area’s community plan, which is expected to be completed within a year.

The Van Nuys-North Sherman Oaks area is the last of 35 planning districts citywide to undergo revisions that make zoning designations consistent with the community plan.

A community plan is an outline for development that designates areas for broad land uses, such as single-family homes, apartments, and commercial and industrial buildings. Zoning regulations detail the density and size of buildings.

Under the temporary ordinance, building permits would not be issued for any multifamily complexes that are not in keeping with the existing community plan for the area.

No Higher Than 30 Feet

Also, no building permits would be issued for apartments or condominiums higher than 30 feet.

“This ordinance will at least protect the neighborhoods until we are finished with the community plan,” said Renee Weitzer, a Wachs aide. “We won’t get a lot of last-minute buildings that wind up being the first apartments on a street of single-family homes.”

From 1980 to 1986, the Van Nuys area underwent the most intensive apartment construction in the city, with 5,666 units built, officials said.

The measure was approved 2 to 0 by the council’s Planning and Environment Committee and will be sent to the full council within two weeks. The measure must also be approved by Mayor Tom Bradley.

It was supported by a representative of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn., Stan Welbourn, who said: “We need to put all inconsistent development on hold.”