Church Wins Zoning Dispute Over Property It Plans to Sell

Jehovah’s Witnesses won a dispute with Los Angeles city planners Tuesday when the City Council agreed that the religious group’s Woodland Hills property had the wrong zoning.

The action clears the way for the sale of the former Valley Music Center, which has been used by the Witnesses as an assembly hall since the early 1970s. The church plans to sell the dome-shaped theater to a developer, who wants to demolish it and build apartments, and to use the proceeds for a new assembly hall in Santa Clarita.

Sale Stalled

The sale was stalled, however, by recent revisions in zoning maps that ruled out construction of a 350-unit apartment complex on the 8.3-acre site at 20600 Ventura Blvd. In a unanimous vote, the council determined that the new map was in error and ordered it changed to allow construction of the complex. The measure was sent to Mayor Tom Bradley for approval.

Church officials had contended that the new zoning map had been redrawn incorrectly to allow only 280 apartments.

“We felt that the value of our property had been taken away from us without due process,” said Lloyd Harding, a church elder. “We are very pleased with this decision. We can now go forward with the sale.”

James Conkey, vice president of GBW Properties, which intends to buy and develop the site, said the company plans a 350-unit complex that will not obstruct views from adjacent homes and will provide open space and a greenbelt to buffer the complex from nearby condominiums and houses.

“Our plans are to go forward as soon as possible,” Conkey said.

Councilman Marvin Braude, who represents the area, and nearby homeowners favored changing the zoning to allow the larger complex because it would enable the developer to create more greenbelt space to protect homes.

Sale Price

Harding would not disclose the sale price of the property. The theater was the San Fernando Valley’s leading performing arts center after its construction 25 years ago. Jehovah’s Witnesses bought the 2,865-seat structure in the early 1970s and used it as a regional assembly hall.

The religious group plans to move to a site in the Santa Clarita Valley and build a 4,000-seat assembly hall for large weekend gatherings of members from throughout the Valley, Glendale and Pasadena, Harding said.

The group is negotiating for the site, Harding said, but he would not divulge the location because the deal is not complete.