STUDIO CITY : Offices Planned for Site of Bank

The owners of a vacant Studio City bank building will seek city approval to demolish it and construct a 60,000-square-foot office complex in its place, a spokesman said.

But architect Phil Terhorst said there are no immediate plans to develop the site between Laurel Grove and Vantage avenues.

“Right now there are no immediate plans,” said Terhorst, on behalf of the building’s owner, F. O. K. Partnership. “We just want to get things approved before we go forward with any plans.”

A zoning change is required before construction of the commercial complex would be allowed on land that is zoned for parking lot.

Property owners may request such a change beginning Sept. 17, after a three-week period of public comment on the proposed project.

The president of the Studio City Residents Assn. raised concerns about the size and location of the project.

Tony Lucente said the proposed two-story structure, which would replace both the bank building and a parking lot, would exacerbate the lack of parking in the community and add to traffic congestion at the nearby intersection of Laurel Canyon and Ventura boulevards.

“The size and location are alarming,” Lucente said of the project, which was tentatively approved by the environmental section of the Planning Department last month.

Terhorst said the office building would not exceed two stories, would have underground parking, and would comply with a local zoning ordinance know as the Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan.