Business District Growth Limits Move Forward in Canoga Park

The Los Angeles City Council took the first step Tuesday toward controlling development in Canoga Park’s business district, approving a motion by Councilwoman Joy Picus to begin preparing a specific plan for the busy commercial strip along Sherman Way.

Specific plans are city ordinances that can range from banning certain types of businesses to regulating architectural styles. In other areas of the west San Fernando Valley, such as Reseda, the council has imposed temporary building moratoriums to allow time for the specific plans to be prepared and approved.

Picus said she does not anticipate a building moratorium in Canoga Park “for the time being.” She said she plans to appoint a citizens committee to recommend the Canoga Park restrictions relatively soon, so that a plan might be ready by the end of the year.

In general, specific plans have been employed by the Planning Department to impose controls on development, whether they be limits in booming areas such as Ventura Boulevard or incentives for more development in aging commercial areas such as Reseda.

In the case of Canoga Park, Picus was reluctant to say that Sherman Way needed revitalization.

However, she said she hoped a specific plan would bring about “a fresh face for Sherman Way.”

“It’s healthy economically, and it has been for some time,” she said of the strip, which includes a renowned row of antique stores, as well as pornographic businesses, thrift shops and a pool hall.