SHERMAN OAKS : Condo, Apartment Curbs Not Renewed

Los Angeles planning commissioners Thursday refused to renew temporary restrictions on apartment and condominium construction in Sherman Oaks and Studio City, but City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky’s staff vowed to overturn the ruling.

The interim control ordinance prohibited construction of multifamily buildings with more than 10 units or taller than 30 feet so planners could implement permanent regulations to prevent single-family neighborhoods from being overrun by big buildings.

The ordinance has been renewed twice since it was passed initially in 1989 and expired in February.

Planners have not completed a permanent plan, but said the recession has caused construction to slow to the point where there is no danger of large apartment complexes being built in the near future.

“This expired Feb. 9 and there didn’t seem to be any rush to the building and safety counter for permits,” commission president Theodore Stein said before the panel voted 3 to 0 against renewing the restrictions.

But Yaroslavsky’s planning deputy, Vivian Rescalvo, said her boss would ask the City Council to overturn the commission’s vote and order city planners to complete permanent guidelines.

“We need to be more pro-active,” Rescalvo said. “The big picture is to pursue a new ordinance.”