Yaroslavsky to Seek 2-Story Height Limit in Sherman Oaks

Los Angeles City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky will seek to bar new construction from exceeding two stories in height along an eight-block stretch of Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, his office announced Friday.

“I think it goes against the character of Sherman Oaks to have construction of buildings any higher than two stories,” Yaroslavsky said in a press release.

The proposal would impose a two-story or 30-foot height restriction on Ventura Boulevard from Columbus Avenue to Beverly Glen Boulevard.

Vivian Roscalvo, a Yaroslavsky planning aide, said the proposed ordinance probably would not take effect for another six months and would eventually amend the Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan, which is still under consideration by the council.

Despite the delay, “no projects are in the pipeline that pose a threat” to the status quo of this area in Sherman Oaks, Roscalvo said.

The Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan, which will be reviewed Tuesday by the council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee, calls for a three-story or 45-foot height limit between Columbus and Beverly Glen.

“The area between Columbus and Beverly Glen is as pedestrian-oriented as the other areas included in the Specific Plan,” where the buildings “are one or two stories,” Yaroslavsky said.

Roscalvo said the proposal would not interfere with the council’s consideration of the Specific Plan. “It will move forward on a separate track,” she said.