City Council Seeks Rezoning Maneuver : Warner Ridge: Designating 21.5 acres for minimal commercial use would allow continued efforts to block a large development.

The Los Angeles City Council is attempting to comply with an unfavorable court order in the long and bitter squabble over development of Warner Ridge in Woodland Hills--and still block large-scale commercial construction there.

In a closed session Tuesday, the council gave preliminary approval to a law that would rezone the ridge for commercial use, thus bringing the zoning and community plan provisions into agreement, as a Superior Court judge ordered. The judge’s order had appeared to be a step ahead for the site’s would-be developer.

But the law the council recommended Tuesday would allow only minimal commercial development, far short of what the developer says is economically feasible.

That could still give Councilwoman Joy Picus a victory in her campaign to prevent construction of a major office development on the ridge.

Picus has been fighting to limit construction on the ridge to single-family houses in response to complaints by some Woodland Hills homeowners in her district.

She refused to comment Tuesday on the specific limits of the proposed ordinance, which will be brought back to the council for a vote on Oct. 3, but predicted the developer “won’t be happy with it.”

Knowledgeable City Hall sources, who asked not to be identified, said the ordinance would allow only 235,000 square feet of office space--with buildings no taller than three stories--on the 21.5-acre site.

The developer, a partnership of The Spound Co. and Johnson Wax Development Co., originally sought city permits to build an 810,000-square-foot commercial project, consisting of several office towers of three to seven stories. Last month the partnership offered a compromise plan for 540,000 square feet of commercial and retail space and 350 residential units.

With Tuesday’s action, the council was trying to comply with a Sept. 11 order by Superior Court Judge John Zebrowski, ruling on a complaint by the developer after Picus got the council to rezone the ridge in January for single-family houses to block the project. The judge ordered the city to bring the ridge’s zoning and its designation under the city plan--which was for commercial use--into agreement by Oct. 11.

Robert McMurry, attorney for the developer, agreed that the council zoning proposal would comply with Zebrowski’s order. But, he said, it would not stop a lawsuit filed against the city by his client that seeks tens of millions of dollars in damages.

“This does not permit an economical use of the property, and it’s not going to settle the litigation,” McMurry said. “They’ve put the lowest amount of commercial zoning on this that they can.”

McMurry said the developer also has other causes of action against the city that have yet to be tested in court, including a charge that the city’s decision to zone the property for single-family development constituted an illegal “taking of the property.”

Despite the actions it is taking to comply, the city plans to appeal Zebrowski’s ruling in a bid to reauthorize residential-only zoning on the property, Picus said.