WOODLAND HILLS : Shopping Center Expansion Plan OKd

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a plan to expand a shopping center on the corner of Ventura and Topanga Canyon boulevards, brushing aside an appeal by the owner of a neighboring store who said increased traffic from the project would create hazards.

By a unanimous vote, the council agreed to allow the construction of a Ralphs supermarket and other retail space on the busy corner. The project is a compromise between the developer, who originally planned to build 10- and 13-story office buildings on the site, and homeowners eager to minimize traffic flow in the area.

The project includes a dozen exceptions to the Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan that “are appropriate if they benefit the community,” said Planning and Land Use Management Committee Chairman Hal Bernson. “Basically, the homeowners are very happy to have the size of the development reduced.”

Harris Toibb, who owns the property where the Ralphs store is to be built, said a Van Nuys judge later Wednesday denied a request for a temporary restraining order to block construction. He said he expects construction to begin within a few days.

The council upheld a decision by the Planning Commission in April to allow Ventura-Topanga Partners to build a Ralphs on the 7.8-acre parcel, despite objections by the owner of the neighboring property, which is leased to a Vons grocery store.

Stan Weiss said the lack of a driveway between the two buildings would create dangerous driving conditions in the parking lot. He asked that the city demand a 25-foot easement between the two stores--a request that, if granted, would have stalled construction of Ralphs.

Weiss’ attorney, Ben Reznik, said his client plans to file a lawsuit within a week to challenge the city’s ruling.

Reznik said the approval of the Ralphs store was not only “a politically desirable deal” unfair to his client, but also a major blow to the specific plan adopted in 1991 in an effort to control growth along the Valley’s main thoroughfare.

“It’s like making the plan a joke,” Reznik said. “They decided, ‘Let’s forget what the specific plan says and approve the project.’ ”