Building Limits OKd for Panorama City : L.A. Restricts Height Limits Near Deteriorating Mall for 1 Year

The Los Angeles City Council tentatively approved an ordinance Wednesday temporarily limiting development in central Panorama City for at least a year, despite past recommendations for denial from the city planning staff and the Planning Commission.

The ordinance reduces the height limit for new buildings near the Panorama Mall and calls for more careful review of developments that combine houses or apartments with businesses. Because only 10 council members were present Wednesday, instead of the 12 needed for final approval, the measure will return next week for a second vote.

The measure is designed to give planners time to hold public hearings and draft permanent building controls, which may or may not be the same as the interim ordinance. The ordinance expires after one year, with the possibility of two 180-day extensions.

Frank Quon, a city planning associate, said the department objected to the ordinance when it was introduced in 1988 because it would amend a plan for the area adopted two years previously.

“The plan was so new,” Quon said. “It just seemed too soon.” He said planners no longer have any objections.

Central Core

Panorama City, like Warner Center and Sherman Oaks, was supposed to develop around a central core of office buildings and stores. Quon said city planners have moved away from that concept recently, largely because of the traffic congestion problems it causes.

Unlike Warner Center, the core concept never caught on in Panorama City, leaving the mall to deteriorate and prompting major stores, including Robinson’s, to move away. But the intensive zoning remained, including room for buildings 10 stories or higher.

As time passed, Quon said, Councilman Ernani Bernardi became concerned that a tall building or two out of step with surrounding structures would be built and lead to more blight. Tentative proposals that combined residential and commercial developments caused concern because of the traffic they would generate, Quon said.

Under the ordinance, buildings are limited to 1 1/2 times the square footage of the lot and to a maximum height of six stories. Mixed residential and commercial development must go through a special review process, which includes public hearings. Additional parking is required for offices and restaurants.

Boundaries of central Panorama City, as described in the ordinance, are roughly Van Nuys Boulevard on the east, Cedros Avenue on the west, Parthenia Street on the north and the extension of Strathern Street on the south.