Residents Fight for Walking Room : Criticize Plan to Widen Intersection, Shrink Sidewalk

The city’s first attempt at using a proposed Ventura Boulevard traffic law to relieve congestion in Woodland Hills drew criticism Monday from homeowners.

Los Angeles transportation planners want to require the developer of a $25-million shopping center at the northeast corner of Ventura Boulevard and Canoga Avenue to widen part of the street next to his project under provisions of the proposed ordinance.

But a representative of the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization warned a Planning Commission hearing examiner Monday that such construction would eliminate part of a heavily used sidewalk. “I’m seriously concerned it will result in less safety for pedestrians,” said Gordon Murley, vice president in charge of development issues for the group.

By contrast, Murley praised the design of the proposed 80,500-square-foot, two-story retail center. The Woodland Hills group has strongly criticized other recent Ventura Boulevard projects as being ugly and too big.

28 Shops Planned

The planned development would resemble an irregularly shaped “L” with soft, rounded corners and would house 28 shops, two restaurants and above- and below-ground parking for 400 cars. It would replace an abandoned Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor, a Tune-Up Masters and a one-time pie shop that houses a printing firm.

Developer Howard Smuckler, executive vice president of Saunders Development Co. of Sherman Oaks, said his company sought an appealing design. “We’re not trying to build some type of monstrosity that nobody will like,” he said.

Smuckler said construction of a five-foot-wide traffic “flare-out” required under guidelines stemming from the proposed Ventura Boulevard traffic control ordinance would leave a five-foot-wide sidewalk along the east side of Canoga Avenue.

The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote on the new boulevard law in November. The measure would tie future growth along the 17-mile thoroughfare between Studio City and Woodland Hills to the ability of the boulevard to handle traffic.

Officials calculate that the boulevard can absorb 8.6 million square feet of additional commercial development and 30,000 more car trips a day by the year 2010 if traffic signals are upgraded and key intersections such as Canoga Avenue are widened.

Although he said he believes the proposed sidewalk would be wide enough for pedestrians, Smuckler said his company would not be opposed if the city dropped the street-widening requirement.

Monday’s hearing dealt with a request to change land on the site presently zoned for “parking” to “commercial.”

Hearing examiner Michael Davies said he will issue his recommendation prior to an Aug. 10 hearing by the city Planning Commission.