SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Planners Delay Vote on Trip Fees

The Los Angeles Planning Commission on Thursday postponed voting on a proposal that would give developers greater leeway in paying stiff fees levied last year for traffic improvements along Ventura Boulevard.

The fees, known as trip fees, were authorized under the Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan, a sweeping ordinance adopted last year to manage growth on the boulevard. Individual developers, whose bills range from $8,000 to $800,000, complained at a public hearing before the commission Thursday that the fees are too high, especially during the present economic climate.

In all, 170 projects built between November, 1985, and February, 1991, have been hit with trip fee bills totaling $16 million. Less than $1 million has been collected by the city because of the economic slowdown, city officials said.

Commissioners said the proposed plan amendment should make it easier for developers to pay the fees, allowing them to pay in installments. It also includes a process by which a developer could appeal the amount of fees charged for a project. The commission will vote on the proposal June 25.