NORTHRIDGE : 4-Acre Ranch Denied Status as L.A. Historic Monument

A Northridge neighborhood lost its bid Wednesday to have a four-acre lot designated as a cultural-historic monument, clearing the way for a church to pursue building there.

The effort to preserve the farm-like lot in the 17400 block of Roscoe Boulevard began after the St. Athanius Coptic Orthodox Church expressed interest in buying the property.

Residents said the property should be preserved because it was an important cattle-breeding site in the 1940s and is one of the last remaining small ranches in once-rural Northridge. But opponents compared the effort to a nationally mocked campaign to block a mini-mall by declaring a Studio City carwash a cultural monument.

Proponents lost Wednesday when the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission voted unanimously to deny the neighborhood’s request. Residents said they will continue fighting the church’s effort to obtain a conditional use permit to build a 40,500-square-foot building with a 600-seat chapel and 205 parking spaces.