‘Lost Village’ Isn’t a Landmark, Panel Says : Heritage: The city says there’s no proof that the site where two office buildings are planned contains extensive artifacts.

The city Cultural Heritage Commission refused Wednesday to consider two redevelopment sites near the “Lost Village of Encino” for designation as historical monuments, citing lack of proof that they contain archeological artifacts.

But the commissioners said they would reconsider the application if a coalition of suburban homeowners and American Indians can substantiate claims that the vacant lots are among “the most sensitive archeological sites in the entire San Fernando Valley.”

During the 90-minute hearing in City Hall, the commission’s staff architect and attorney both said that despite the significance of the 1984 “Lost Village” excavation, the presence of more Indian remains in the area near Ventura and Balboa boulevards has yet to be confirmed.

Benjamin M. Reznik, a prominent attorney who represents Valley developers, agreed, and argued that state laws would protect any artifacts found during construction.

“Does the city go around designating properties based on speculation and hearsay?” Reznik asked.

The commission also urged developers, who are poised to begin construction of two office buildings, to first allow neighborhood activists to conduct archeological surveys on the property. But Gerald Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino, countered that such studies were the developers’ responsibility. Reznik said he would advise his client, Katell/Capretta Partners of Gardena, against doing anything not legally required.

“This whole thing is a hoax,” Reznik said after the hearing, charging that Silver was but the latest activist to exploit the commission for a slow-growth campaign. Silver has also appealed the two projects’ construction permits to the city Building and Safety Commission.

Reznik and others have accused the commission in recent months of caving in to anti-development activists and awarding the monument designation too liberally. In a recent controversial case, the commission declared a portion of bucolic Fryman Canyon in the Hollywood Hills a cultural monument in response to a request from Valley residents who opposed a luxury residential development.

The cultural commission’s decision Wednesday came after some tense testimony, including the pleas of a father on behalf of his sons, who are developing one of the office buildings.

“Please, if this deal for my children goes bad, I’m afraid they may have a heart attack,” said an emotional Ned Cohen, who described finding his sons Maurice and Albert with their heads in their hands this week because of Silver’s efforts.

The Cohen brothers of Studio City, both in their late 20s, want to build a 47,800-square-foot office building at Ventura Boulevard and La Maida Street, east of Los Encinos State Historic Park and across the street from the “Lost Village” site. Ned Cohen said his sons would go bankrupt if the project encounters more delays.

Had the cultural commission agreed to consider Silver’s application, construction would have been automatically delayed for 60 days while the panel visited the sites and made their recommendation to the City Council.

More than 1 million artifacts and the remains of about two dozen Indians were excavated from the “Lost Village” site six years ago at a cost of $1.7 million. Experts contend that it is the site of a major Indian city that was documented by 18th-Century Spanish explorers and long sought by modern archeologists.

Today, the site--at the southeast corner of Ventura and Balboa boulevards--is covered by a large office building. The human remains found during the building’s 1984 construction have been reburied in Los Encinos State Historic Park, and the artifacts remain in storage.

Reznik, whose client plans a $25 million, 132,000-square-foot office building near the northeast corner of Ventura and Balboa boulevards, questioned why no one applied for the historic-cultural designation when the “Lost Village” was unearthed.

Anticipating arguments that he is more interested in Ventura Boulevard’s density than he is in American Indian heritage, Silver told the commission:

“I have to say candidly that yes, Homeowners of Encino is very distressed by the developments that have taken place. But I ask that you make your determination solely on the facts, on the merits of this case.”

Another Encino resident, Kathy Lewis of Property Owners of Encino, asked that the commission use its power to freeze the developers’ building permits and give her 60 days to attempt to negotiate with the developers for archeological surveys.

Maurice Cohen told the commission that he would be willing to pay for such a survey. But later, after consulting with builder Jerry Katell in the hallway, Cohen said he was undecided.