Neighbors Clash Over Proposal for Cul-de-Sac : Developers Seeking to Subdivide Estate
Some residents of Chandler Estates in Van Nuys say oui to giving their gated mansions names like “Chateau du Jambon,” but non to cul-de-sacs.
Last week, the Los Angeles Planning Commission agreed, saying that a proposed project with a cul-de-sac and four homes in the 13200 block of Chandler Boulevard should be modified because it would spoil the character of the entire two-mile, cedar tree-lined area between Van Nuys Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue.
The commission ordered city planners to explore whether replacing the proposed cul-de-sac with two driveways would satisfy the Fire Department’s requirements for emergency access to the homes on the 1.25-acre property.
But commissioners warned that if the driveways take up too much space for the developers to build the four homes, they will approve the cul-de-sac because it complies with existing zoning regulations.
Appeal Likely
The commission’s decision, set for Oct. 17, is almost certain to be appealed either by residents or the developers. The City Council has the final say over the development.
The project, proposed by developers Robert and Mike Benson, is one of several that are likely to surface in the near future, as builders seek city approval to subdivide some of the 40 or so remaining large estates in the area.
Two parcels of land in Chandler Estates already have been replaced with cul-de-sacs, which enable developers to build several houses on the land previously occupied by one home. The prospect of more such developments has polarized the community.
“This is the Beverly Hills of Van Nuys, and cul-de-sacs do not belong here,” said Don Schultz, spokesman for the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn., which is supporting one contingent of residents. “It is nauseating to all of us with any conscience that Chandler Estates could be chopped up to satisfy the greed of developers.”
Enhancing Neighborhood
But Jenny Alevizos, a long-time resident who is selling the property to the Bensons for their disputed project, is one of many people in the area who say development will enhance the neighborhood. The neighborhood has a hodgepodge of architectural styles set off by towering blue-green deodar cedar trees planted more than 70 years ago and by a landscaped median strip that was formerly the route of the Pacific Electric trolley cars.
Some of the homes were built before World War II and have obviously fallen into disrepair. One such house, built in 1912 by former Times publisher Harry Chandler for his brother, was demolished late last month. Other homes have been carefully remodeled or replaced with lavish mansions, including a castle with a moat.
The Bensons plan to raze some dilapidated guest housing in the back of the Alevizos property, build three houses and completely renovate the family’s decrepit white colonial, something Alevizos said she could not afford unless she sells them the land for about $500,000.
The proposed cul-de-sac would be a 28-foot-wide, private street bounded by a white gate that could only be opened by the development’s occupants, according to plans filed with the city. Only two of the homes could be seen from Chandler Boulevard.
Opposing Views
“I’ve lived here 30 years and I can do whatever I want with my property,” Alevizos, 66, said. “I just don’t understand what these new people are hollering about.”
“We’re trying to preserve the atmosphere here,” countered Candy Stanman, 39, a resident of the area for five years and a leader in the fight against cul-de-sacs.
To enhance the bucolic ambiance of their estate, Candy and her husband, Richard, a dentist, added an artificial brook in the front yard and stocked it with koi fish . The couple’s sprawling, single-story home has exposed beams and a sunken, black marble bathtub that looks out on sun-splashed flowers like those in an Impressionist painting.
But not everybody who owns land in the area is as fortunate as the Stanmans, although the neighborhood is becoming more affluent, longtime residents say. Many homes are worth more than $1 million, but others are termite-ridden, said Sol Taylor, a real estate agent who lives in the area.
“There’s been more construction on Chandler in the past three years than in the past 15,” Taylor said, adding that the trend is likely to continue.
Zoned for Estates
People who own large parcels in Chandler Estates, including the Stanmans and Alevizos, may divide their land into lots no smaller than about one-quarter acre each. The minimum lot is about twice the size of those permitted in many single-family neighborhoods because much of the area is zoned for estates, said Deborah Murphy, a Los Angeles city planner.
But builders who triple or quadruple the number of houses on an undeveloped parcel must provide adequate access for fire engines to reach the scene of an emergency at any one of the homes, Murphy said. Frequently, a single driveway does not meet those requirements, she said.
Adding a second driveway often means developers cannot build as many houses, she said.
“There is no way financially we could build fewer houses, and that is what we would have to do to put in another driveway,” said Robert Benson after the Planning Commission hearing last week.
Self-Interest Charged
He said residents who spoke against the project are motivated by self-interest, concerned about the loss of privacy and not by a genuine desire to preserve one of the San Fernando Valley’s oldest streets.
The project, which was designed with features such as large trees to avoid undue intrusion on neighbors, is supported by more than 50 area residents who signed a petition that the Bensons circulated. About 65 others signed a petition opposing the project. Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, who represents the area, also believes the cul-de-sac would detract from Chandler Estates, according to one of his deputies, Vivian Rescalvo.
“I don’t understand why they don’t like cul-de-sacs,” Robert Benson said. “Buyers like them because they offer privacy and reduce the noise level.”
But Toni Plume, 38, who lives next door to the proposed project, said the two existing cul-de-sacs, which the Bensons built on Kuen Place and Nagle Avenue, are eyesores. Homes there are on small lots and are about 10 feet from one another.
“This is an estate area, not a normal city block,” Plume said. “If this new cul-de-sac is not stopped, we will experience a domino effect.”
City planner Murphy said the new cul-de-sac would not resemble either of the existing ones because the homes would be on lots that are more than twice as big as those on Kuen and Nagle. The Bensons have also agreed to leave more space around the new homes, she said.
Plans for the cul-de-sac on Kuen were approved in 1980 when city officials were less concerned with the problems of overdevelopment, Murphy said. Robert Benson said he built the homes on Nagle about 20 years ago.
