VAN NUYS : Hearing Planned on Supermarket Access
An appeal by residents of a controversial plan to build a new supermarket in Van Nuys will be heard by city officials today.
City Councilwoman Laura Chick has expressed support for the proposal, a 24-hour Food 4 Less supermarket at Sherman Way and Havenhurst Avenue. Chick believes that a supermarket is needed, said Kenneth Bernstein, Chick’s deputy for planning.
But many neighbors have opposed the store, contending that the location of the loading dock at the 24-hour supermarket will bring large trucks to their residential street.
“At issue is the location of the loading dock and how it will impact the people living in the single-family homes within 100 feet,” said Don Shultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn. “It would be a gross miscarriage of justice if the proposal is approved at this stage.”
The existing plan calls for trucks to use DeCelis Place for access to the dock.
Chick has asked that no trucks be allowed to drive beyond the supermarket on DeCelis Place, and that a weight limit on trucks be imposed. But some residents want to relocate the loading dock to the other side of the lot, a position that Chick opposes.
Given the long, narrow shape of the property, Bernstein said, Chick believes that moving the loading dock is impractical.
The hearing is scheduled for the city Board of Zoning Appeals at 11:30 a.m. in Room 561-A at City Hall.
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